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I'm interested in hearing from those of you with hospice volunteer experience--I've searched the forums and found isolated instances of feedback, but not an entire thread on the pros/cons/challenges of hospice work as a medical EC...
My situation: I'm a potential career-changer who has done much reading about medicine but who has (as yet) no actual experience with it, save for my annual physicals.
I'm ready to start getting my feet wet by volunteering. At this point, I'm less concerned about building an attractive AMCAS than I am about just gaining familiarity with the world of health care and whether or not it's really something that I want to pursue. Since my time is limited (a few hours a week), I can't take on multiple commitments at this time as some people do (e.g., volunteering in two different hospital departments, shadowing docs, etc.). I want to commit to one opportunity that will give me a good dose of medical reality, allow me to actually be of genuine use to someone, and potentially become a fulfilling long-term activity even if I decide in the end that medical school is NOT something I want to pursue. From my outsider's perspective, hospice seems to fill this particular bill more closely than traditional hospital volunteering (and if it also helps me stand even slightly apart from the crowd at application time, that's fine as well). But I have some concerns--or at least some gray areas that I'd like filled in:
1. Can I expect to get any kind of sense of what it's like to practice medicine from being in the hospice setting, or should I go into the experience just planning to get some familiarity with patient/family interactions and to assess (and hopefully raise!!) my comfort level with illness and mortality? (Note: as I hinted above, this won't be my one and only volunteer opportunity--just the first one, and the only one at this present time. I'll do whatever else I can and/or should as more time becomes available.)
2. Somewhat related to the above question, I've been very blessed to have had (so far) almost no exposure to ill health at all, to say nothing of terminal illness. Three of my four grandparents are still alive into their 80s and 90s, and living comfortably at home in fine health; the fourth passed while I was away at college. I've lost other relatives and family friends to cancer, etc., but wasn't ever at the bedside to be confronted by the illness. I personally have only ever been hospitalized for a tonsillectomy, which was hardly a major traumatic event (although I milked it for as much ice cream as I could). My question, then: although I am, in a sense, actively seeking exposure to illness and mortality (what greater way to challenge a nascent interest in medicine than by witnessing its "failure" (and/or its palliative potential)), and although I consider myself a serious, sensitive, and mature individual, is it perhaps unwise to make my first "real" experience with medicine such a potentially emotionally draining one?
3. Last but not least, does anyone have a good suggestion for a hospice opportunity in the Boston area? (One SDNer pointed me toward Dana-Farber's Healthcare Dimensions, but their volunteer training schedule doesn't fit so well with my other obligations.)
Thanks in advance for any and all feedback.
Best,
NYM
My situation: I'm a potential career-changer who has done much reading about medicine but who has (as yet) no actual experience with it, save for my annual physicals.
I'm ready to start getting my feet wet by volunteering. At this point, I'm less concerned about building an attractive AMCAS than I am about just gaining familiarity with the world of health care and whether or not it's really something that I want to pursue. Since my time is limited (a few hours a week), I can't take on multiple commitments at this time as some people do (e.g., volunteering in two different hospital departments, shadowing docs, etc.). I want to commit to one opportunity that will give me a good dose of medical reality, allow me to actually be of genuine use to someone, and potentially become a fulfilling long-term activity even if I decide in the end that medical school is NOT something I want to pursue. From my outsider's perspective, hospice seems to fill this particular bill more closely than traditional hospital volunteering (and if it also helps me stand even slightly apart from the crowd at application time, that's fine as well). But I have some concerns--or at least some gray areas that I'd like filled in:1. Can I expect to get any kind of sense of what it's like to practice medicine from being in the hospice setting, or should I go into the experience just planning to get some familiarity with patient/family interactions and to assess (and hopefully raise!!) my comfort level with illness and mortality? (Note: as I hinted above, this won't be my one and only volunteer opportunity--just the first one, and the only one at this present time. I'll do whatever else I can and/or should as more time becomes available.)
2. Somewhat related to the above question, I've been very blessed to have had (so far) almost no exposure to ill health at all, to say nothing of terminal illness. Three of my four grandparents are still alive into their 80s and 90s, and living comfortably at home in fine health; the fourth passed while I was away at college. I've lost other relatives and family friends to cancer, etc., but wasn't ever at the bedside to be confronted by the illness. I personally have only ever been hospitalized for a tonsillectomy, which was hardly a major traumatic event (although I milked it for as much ice cream as I could).
My question, then: although I am, in a sense, actively seeking exposure to illness and mortality (what greater way to challenge a nascent interest in medicine than by witnessing its "failure" (and/or its palliative potential)), and although I consider myself a serious, sensitive, and mature individual, is it perhaps unwise to make my first "real" experience with medicine such a potentially emotionally draining one?3. Last but not least, does anyone have a good suggestion for a hospice opportunity in the Boston area? (One SDNer pointed me toward Dana-Farber's Healthcare Dimensions, but their volunteer training schedule doesn't fit so well with my other obligations.)
Thanks in advance for any and all feedback.
Best,
NYM
