Negative volunteering experience

[lainey234]

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I'm volunteering at an ER right now but I am not enjoying it or getting much out of it. Mostly I stand around trying to look helpful while everyone does their job around me. It's kind of demoralizing.

I've put in about 40 hrs there so far but I'm wondering if I should try and find a different position or stick it out? I guess I'm hoping that after seeing me stand around idly week after week that at some point they will get used to me and ask me to do something.

Anyone else have any similar experience? Is this how most volunteer positions are in hospitals or do some of you actually get to see/do cool things?

 

[MarzMD]

I'm volunteering at an ER right now but I am not enjoying it or getting much out of it. Mostly I stand around trying to look helpful while everyone does their job around me. It's kind of demoralizing.

I've put in about 40 hrs there so far but I'm wondering if I should try and find a different position or stick it out? I guess I'm hoping that after seeing me stand around idly week after week that at some point they will get used to me and ask me to do something.

Anyone else have any similar experience? Is this how most volunteer positions are in hospitals or do some of you actually get to see/do cool things?

Yup, that sounds about right. Unless you get to know the residents and attendings you wont see very much in the ED. There was a similar thread the other week in the allo forum about someone being afraid of physicians. The way i got to see all the interesting stuff is by just having a reason to talk to the attendings and residents. Once they knew me, I felt comfortable enough to ask the attending if I could be in the trauma room any time a trauma came in. If they know who you are, they shouldnt have a problem with it. Also, some of the residents let me observe procedures. They are not going to go out of their way to come tell you every time they are about to do one, so you are going to have to be very proactive. If you want to get something out of the experience, it is up to you. People in the ED tend to have tunnel vision.

 

[girlsporty]

I'm volunteering at an ER right now but I am not enjoying it or getting much out of it. Mostly I stand around trying to look helpful while everyone does their job around me. It's kind of demoralizing.

I've put in about 40 hrs there so far but I'm wondering if I should try and find a different position or stick it out? I guess I'm hoping that after seeing me stand around idly week after week that at some point they will get used to me and ask me to do something.

Anyone else have any similar experience? Is this how most volunteer positions are in hospitals or do some of you actually get to see/do cool things?

Yeah... I've had similar experiences non-medically. It sucks.

Someone please correct me if I am wrong, but you can always just chat with people to help them pass the time in the ER if they're waiting. You know, brighten someone's misery for a few moments. You could probably
also offer help or introduce yourself to people if you have not had the opportunity already.

Didn't Woody Allen say: "Eighty percent of success is showing up." ?

 

[MarzMD]

Yeah... I've had similar experiences non-medically. It sucks.

Someone please correct me if I am wrong, but you can always just chat with people to help them pass the time in the ER if they're waiting. You know, brighten someone's misery for a few moments. You could probably
also offer help or introduce yourself to people if you have not had the opportunity already.

Didn't Woody Allen say: "Eighty percent of success is showing up." ?

Not too sure about that one. On the wards, yea, it would be a great idea to go talk to people while they are in their room. In the ED, I think more often than not that wont be a good idea.

 

[jameslynton]

I had several of those - find what you like to do. ER's are rough places due to the nature of the work. Would suggest you ask about things you can do other keep out of people's way.

 

[thegymbum]

Is there a volunteer coordinator you could speak with about finding a way to get more involved? Maybe they would be helpful. Otherwise maybe you'd be better off looking into a medically-related job, I found that working as a medical assistant and getting trained let me get "in on the action" a lot more than volunteering did 🙂

 

[e_phn]

my current volunteer position sucks badly 🙁 , so i'm switching it this summer. 😀

i normally do...hmm..answering the phone, making copies, standing around like an idiot. IT'S NOT FUN AT ALL, AND I DON'T LEARN ANYTHING. thank God, i'm changing it.

 

[mam4993]

Yeah, but even answering the phone sucks. I mean, they have operators already and each ward has a secretary. So basically when I answer the phone (I volunteer on the oncology floor) I just create more work for the secretary because I NEVER know what the person is asking me about so the secretary just has to re-answer the phone. I HATE answering the phone. I was "working" today and the phone rang while the secretary was at lunch and the woman on the other end just screamed at me for awhile because I put her on hold while I paged the nurse she was looking for and then the nurse didn't respond and I didn't know what machine the woman was looking for on and on and on. It IS demoralizing. I always feel so inept. Especially when they put me at the Information Desk my first day at the hospital without even so much as giving me a listing of what floors different departments were on. Nothing makes you feel quite as useless as knowing nothing about the hospital and sitting underneath a big sign that says "INFORMATION."

thegymbum, how long did it take to you train as a medical assistant? I was looking into it but I think going to school full-time and training might be a little much.

 

[Jennyollio]

I had exactly this experience the other day. I was super excited about volunteering in the ER and it ended up being awful. I stood around doing absolutely nothing for 5 hours. If anything I felt like I was just getting in everyone's way. I am not looking foward to doing it again this week. 🙁

 

[e_phn]

Yeah, but even answering the phone sucks. I mean, they have operators already and each ward has a secretary. So basically when I answer the phone (I volunteer on the oncology floor) I just create more work for the secretary because I NEVER know what the person is asking me about so the secretary just has to re-answer the phone. I HATE answering the phone. I was "working" today and the phone rang while the secretary was at lunch and the woman on the other end just screamed at me for awhile because I put her on hold while I paged the nurse she was looking for and then the nurse didn't respond and I didn't know what machine the woman was looking for on and on and on. It IS demoralizing. I always feel so inept. Especially when they put me at the Information Desk my first day at the hospital without even so much as giving me a listing of what floors different departments were on. Nothing makes you feel quite as useless as knowing nothing about the hospital and sitting underneath a big sign that says "INFORMATION."

you sound like me when i first started, but now i'm used to all these questions from doctors and other ppl. of course, i sometimes need the secretary's assistance, but i am on my own most of the time. not very fun. the secretary seems to think I know everything. 🙄

 

[HelenaP]

I've had great experiences at my community hospital, where most of their volunteers are either highschoolers or elderly, so a capable college student is actually rare and valuble. I had a terrible experience, just like yours, at the big teaching hospital at my school. So that's one consideration. I'm also a medical assistant (that's pretty much what I'm doing this summer). I got the job a doctor's office, and they just trained me on the job, like "This is how you chart a phone call. This is how you do an EKG. Okay, now you go ahead, I'll be over there if you have any questions." Very stressful at first, but WAY better than standing awkwardly in the hospital.

 

[mam4993]

I got the job a doctor's office

If you don't mind me asking, how? I would love to actually do some clinical work that had a purpose. It doesn't even need to be a job. I'd love to be able to volunteer as a medical assistant, but a) I have no idea if that's possible and b) most Medical Assistant programs I've been looking at require 8 months or so of night classes. How'd you land the on the job training?

 

[do-ca]

I've volunteered alot and my best times were in the Labor and Delivery unit. I actually got to help with deliveries- holding legs, helping moms puch, etc. It was great. In the ER docs and people just want to get the job done and get out.

Don't let it bitter you about medicine or the ER.

 

[Magnum]

I am looking at volunteer opportunities, and wonder whether you guys think it would be better to volunteer at a hospital or at a hospice?

Thanks

 

[HelenaP]

If you don't mind me asking, how? I would love to actually do some clinical work that had a purpose. It doesn't even need to be a job. I'd love to be able to volunteer as a medical assistant, but a) I have no idea if that's possible and b) most Medical Assistant programs I've been looking at require 8 months or so of night classes. How'd you land the on the job training?

My office hires college students every summer. I actually got it through family doctor connections (it's the Chicago way), but they sometimes put out classified ads and sometimes students write letters asking if they have an opening. If you know any doctors, ask if they know anyone that might take you. If you don't know many doctors, I would suggest trying the letter thing. Look up offices in your area (there are probably a ton if you include various specialties) in the yellow pages or your local hospital probably has a listing of all the doctors on staff, with their offices' phone numbers and addresses.

My office considers such requests very seriously, and if they are charmed but don't have an opening they will often suggest another office that might be looking. I had to start at the front desk with filing and answering phones, but I made it very clear I would LOVE to work with the nurses. Since someone is constantly quitting/fired/going on vacation they were happy to have me, and now I work there as needed (which usually turns out to be more hours than I want) whenever I come home from school.

As for the training, we have had some really bad experiences with certified phlebotomists, so I think they even prefer to just teach people that sort of thing on the job. The new people kinda just follow the more experienced people around for a while, it isn't really a big deal (though, like I said, it seemed kind of overwhelming for the first few days).

 

[mam4993]

Wow, thanks! I will definitely do the letter thing; I was actually just looking in the phone book but shut it because I convinced myself that it was cheesy. Basically I was planning to talk myself up and mention, you know, will work hard for free in exchange for some shadowing opportunites and minimal clinical stuff. I was also going to put that I can provide some good letters of reccomendation from my current boss and a few professors. Thanks for the info! I definitely feel less like a cheesball about cold-mailing some stuff now.

On a funny note, when I was surfing around looking at Medical Assistant programs today I put my information down so Remington college would send me a brochure or something. Those suckers don't waste any time! I just got a phone call from a woman who was as persistant as a telemarketer. It's like they can smell your tuition from four states away.

 

[lainey234]

Thanks for all of the replies, it made me feel ALOT better to know I am not alone. I suppose I will try and stick it out a bit longer and then maybe speak with the volunteer coordinator about trying a different position. Thanks for all the input!