Hospital Volunteer: Day 1

Today was my first day volunteering at the hospital! It was a training day, so I had a wonderful group of ladies to show me the ropes. I work at the patient information desk so basically I do everything. I can give visitors room numbers, answer questions, direct people, take food or flowers to rooms, and discharge patients.

The minute I got to the desk today, a very old lady was having trouble with her computer. She could not connect to the wi-fi in the hospital. The other ladies at the patient information desk were also older, so they didn't know how to help her. Luckily, I knew just how to get her connected. The issue didn't end there, however. She didn't know how to send an email. Since that kind of thing is so easy for the younger crowd (like me), I taught her how to send a message to her daughter. She was having trouble reading the screen and typing on her new keyboard, so I offered to type the message for her. After I sent the message, we sat and talked for probably a good five to ten minutes. It felt great to help someone out, and she was so thankful. It was a really good start to the day.

After that, the ladies at the desk ran through the basics with me. I then toured the maternity pavilion and ICU units. I also went on any type of run we got a call for, which included taking food from nutrition services to the chest pain unit, taking paperwork to a nurse's station, and discharging a patient. I also got a grand tour of the radiology, cardiology, emergency, surgery, and chest pain departments.

Toward the end of my time volunteering, I was answering phones and directing visitors on my own. I also got to discharge my own patient! I couldn't stop smiling the entire time I was there. I suppose that's a pretty good sign. My cheeks hurt a little, though. Unfortunately, it wasn't as busy today as it usually is, so it wasn't as exciting as it could have been. I will be training again next week and the following week I'll be on my own! I'm pretty excited for it and am really glad I chose to spend some of my time volunteering this summer. I might have to pick up some more hours!