I already have volunteering and shadowing experience but the hospital where I volunteer are hiring sitters, especially for people with mental problems. Would this be a unique job for a premed student?
Thanks.
If you do work on a psychiatric unit as a one-on-one (ie, someone who stays with the patients who are on strict observation), which is what I think you are referring to, please, please remember that the people you are working with, though in a lot of pain/suffering (many are on these levels of observation because they want to harm themselves), are still smart, capable, overall normal people who deserve to be treated as such. I am not saying that you will not do this; however, as someone who has both been on an inpatient unit as a patient as a kid/youngish teenager (long story; it was family related, though -- some situations that needed to be worked out) and has volunteered on them, I have seen a lot of staff members become very arrogant, demeaning, disrespectful and/or uncaring to patients; they will treat them as if they are little kids, are stupid, are below them, "freaks" and, ultimately, as if they are a burden. As an example, I once witnessed a whole group (5+) of staff members tell a girl who was having an asthma attack to go away because "the nurse was on break and she would be fine". Though the girl eventually got the treatment she needed (her inhaler), it was only after the nurse came back to find them listening to their iPods while she continually got worse down the hall (comforted only by us fellow patients) -- and even then the staff tried to blame it on us! Keep in mind, this was at a well-regarded, private facility, as well.
As for if it's unique, I can't answer that; however, don't take the job solely for that reason. It can be emotionally exhausting and frustrating work. If you take it just to pad your CV, I can assure you that, at best, you will hate it and, at worst, you will stop caring enough to take care of patients well. Just think about it before you jump in and realize that, for the hours you are with the patient, you will be in a position where you have a lot of power over that person's life -- and it's very easy to get bored/frustrated/whatever and let that negatively impact both of you.
Tl;dr: Don't do it just to pad your CV. Please, please, please x10.
