Hello everyone!
I’m curious about what areas of clinical volunteering OPMS are participating/interested in.
I’m looking at a couple different options beginning in January primarily in more rural settings. Mine include patient care with hospice and at a local hospital.
How about you?
Hi!
I have been volunteering at a small town hospital in Central Illinois for about a year and it has been such a rewarding learning experience! I started by working at the information desk, which led to wheeling out discharged patients, transporting lab samples to/from wards and the lab, cleaning gurnees and wheelchairs in the Emergency Department, shadowing paramedics and ambulance riding, to even shadowing physicians in the ED (LORs!).
One of the most important things I have learned is to see things from the other healthcare professionals perspective, and the importance of each role (nurses, techs, paramedics, administrators) and teamwork in the clinical setting. I thought that everyone would try to persuade me to go into their respective fiedls instead of physician, but it was the exact opposite; they are all very encouraging, and have celebrated everything from my MCAT to each step of my application.
Good luck!