Clinical Volunteering question

[deleted244469]

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Hello all,

So I know the popular phrase for clinical volunteer hours on here is "If you can smell the patient, it is clinical volunteering". With that being said, here's my question. I work in a gift shop in the Women's hospital of a busy, large General hospital. I interact with patients on a daily basis They come in to browse, purchase things, and some just like to walk around while they are waiting to be admitted. Would this be considered clinical volunteering, or is that pushing it?

 

[LizzyM]

That's pushing it.... when you are with them, they are customers in a gift shop. I might give you credit if one is pushing an IV poll but I imagine that is rare.

Try to be transferred to something that gets you to the patient care areas. Even if it is pushing a cart going door to door with items from the gift shop that patients might need or helping to photograph or do hearing tests on babies or whatever else is going on over there. Maybe you can talk to the volunteer service about starting a friendly visitor program for women who are hospitalized on bed rest for weeks before their babies are born. Some of them would love someone to come to their bedside with a craft idea or a book or magazine from a lending cart, or someone with whom to play a game.

 

[deleted244469]

Great. Just what I needed to know. Thanks!