Why I Want To Volunteer

As a recent graduate of the Johns Hopkins University and a new Research Technician at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, becoming more familiar with different healthcare settings and helping others in doing so have always been of my interest. From my experience of volunteering as a piano teacher for inner-city children in Baltimore, I have learnt that even a small commitment and emotional support can make a big difference in the daily lives and the happiness of those in need. I have briefly familiarized myself to the hospital environment by shadowing physicians and conducting biomedical research but have yet to translate my volunteering experiences and the lessons learnt from them to the healthcare setting. I am a friendly, optimistic,

Without doubt, it is my sincere goal and longtime aspiration to pursue a career in the medical field specializing in the area of health care.  From my formative years, actually, as long as I can remember, I have taken a special interest in helping and caring for people. My strong passion for the overall health and welfare of people has been the foundation of my sparked interest in the medical field. After extensive research of the wide-range of careers in the field of medicine, I have found that I am leaning to the profession of a physician assistant (PA).

“Never be a doctor if you’re going to have any loans to pay back.” “Don’t do this to yourself.” “You’ll never have a family if you go to medical school.” “The two worst jobs in America belong to physicians and teachers.” Without even soliciting their advice, physicians noticed my “Pre-medical Volunteer” nametag, and immediately approached me with words of discouragement. I participated in a volunteer summer internship at St. Mary Hospital in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, following my sophomore year of college, in an effort to gain more experience in the medical field and solidify my lifelong desire to become a physician. Throughout the eight weeks, I spent mandatory hours in both the Emergency Room and the Operating Room, made contacts with physicians in specific areas of interest, and spent time shadowing them. In addition, each of us in the program attended weekly business meetings in which administrators of the hospital and local physicians spoke to us about their particular positions and experiences. Unlike the many years of high school I spent volunteering at a hospital and a nursing home, where I was limited to carrying around food trays and refilling cups of water, I was able to gain hands-on and more intimate experience. Initially uneasy at the site of the blood gushing into plastic sheets draped around the orthopedic surgeon’s patient in the OR, it took only a few days to grow accustomed to the images on the television screen during a laparoscopic procedure and the

Through the many trips that my family has taken to the hospital due to various reasons, I have become fond of the hospital and its many wonders. After all the things that the medical field has done for me and my family, I decided to contribute to my local hospital to volunteer and help out those who pay visits to the hospital. Through my exposure to various clinical populations, I want to improve my ability to serve others in this capacity that can guide me towards the medical profession in the future.

Volunteering at Texas Health Presbyterian Plano is my way of giving back to the community while developing critical social skills, and gaining important medical field exposure along the way. It’s an opportunity to change a person’s life, including my own. I volunteered at two hospitals last summer and I’m well acquainted with what volunteering entails and would more than love to do it again. Through this hospital volunteer program, I hope to discover my own passions and talents, while also developing skills that I will utilize throughout my entire high school and college experience.

For as long as I can remember, I have always been interested in pursuing a career in the medical field. These interests were most likely brought to life from my desire to want to help people and learn more about the human body. The experiences I’ve had throughout my life have brought me closer to the belief that I can one day make a difference in the world through medicine. All though I am not completely decided on what I would like my future career to be, I have been able to narrow my options down to a few of the many choices available.

I feel that my experiences and goals closely align with the UWSOM’s mission. During my shadowing internship with Northwestern Medicine, I found that nearly every medical specialty I observed peaked my interest, but I could most clearly envision myself thriving in primary care. I specifically enjoy family medicine and building lasting relationships with patients, as well as internal medicine and seeing a wide variety of cases on a daily basis.

I began volunteering at the Hospital for Special Surgery, to get an overview of what is is like to work at a hospital. Volunteering at a hospital was an eye opening experience, because I got to encounter how physicians, and medical staff communicate, and listen to their patients. These two skills are essential to understand patient needs, and therefore make the right decisions in diagnosing diseases. My role at the hospital was to provide snacks, beverages, and aid kits to patients, families, and medical staff. I have witnessed families that stayed up long nights, because they had loved ones undergo surgery. Any person that has a loved one undergo surgery becomes worried and scared, because of the uncertainty that lies ahead. However, the imperative skills that I have learned and exceeded on was my communication skills. Communicating with these families, and patients was exceedingly important, because you have to place yourself in their shoes to understand the situation they are in. I met young patients, as young as 5 years old, that were in the hospital for days recovering from surgery, or undergoing

Before entering my master’s program at Tulane University School of Medicine (TUSOM), I had the chance to volunteer in the surgical department at Providence Willamette Falls Medical Center (PWFMC). While volunteering, the majority of my patient interactions involved helping patients in any way possible, which usually meant simply talking with and comforting them. After all, most patients do not choose to be in the hospital and are to some extent afraid. They become scared as they attempt to contemplate the personal and financial costs of their ailments for both themselves and their loved ones. This awareness was further highlighted studying, observing, and volunteering at TUSOM. Most notably, shadowing Dr. Douglas Slakey, a surgical specialist, and his team in the gastrointestinal (GI) clinic at Tulane Medical Center.

Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center, represents a place of medicine and friendly faces. Anyone I know that has ever been to PVHMC, always reflects on the friendly environment that comes with the hospital. Around every corner is a smiling face and a pair of listening ears. The latter are just some of the reasons I wish to become a College Volunteer at PVHMC. From my time in high school as a student volunteer, I learned so much about the medical world, but I also learned even more about dealing with individuals in a time of need. Rather that time was during a family loss or the welcoming of a life into this world, I learned that being in the medical field, is much more than just coming to a diagnosis, because it’s the faces and the smiles and

With that being said, if I had to narrow my specialty choices to five, they would include family medicine, pediatrics, and internal medicine based on my experiences thus far. The idea of providing care for the newborn to the geriatric patient provides diversity that excites me. Serving as coordinator of a patient’s care and well-being stirs the relational being inside me. Senior year of college is often a time where people evaluate their lives and seek to do things of significance. All of the extracurricular activities and leadership positions that I am pouring my time into reflect my high view of relationships. From what I have experienced in the healthcare setting, primary care physicians tend to hold the same value. Primary care physicians I shadowed would look at the chart of a patient and always have a story to tell. I both admire this and strive to live my life in accordance with this

In the course of my clerkship as a medical student, I rotated across various medical specialties; the variety of exposure I encountered gave me adequate insight to choose a residency path without difficulty. In my consideration, I sought for a medical field that would accommodate my career goals,

Fortunately, for my third agency this semester I will have the opportunity to observe the staff of Clara Maass Medical Center which is a facility managed by Saint Barnabas Health. When I called this facility to obtain information, I was directed to the hospital’s volunteer department. The supervisor of the department briefed me on the application process and provided me with a list of department choices for my observation. The departments that I selected were Emergency and Wound Care because they encounter various patients on a daily basis. The hospital environment interests me tremendously due to the constant patient interaction and the variety of services provided by the institution. Last year I participated in a short ten hour volunteer

I am an individual who truly loves the feeling of being useful and helping out. That is why I love to volunteer for task in which I need to do something, such as running back and forth to help a team out, or answering any questions a person may have. My passion is something that drives me to do my best and knowing that my work will have a positive benefit in another person's life makes it all the more important for me to be available and excited for this wonderful opportunity that is being provided.

Understanding these reasons for volunteering, is important and could give us concrete answers as to why people would participate in long-term volunteering. The issue of sufficient support networks for people in need is very important. It has a very crucial role to play in the well-being of people. We all need support when we are going through difficult times and knowing that there is someone there for you, someone who cares, can make all the difference in the world.