The problem with hospitals

[Chankovsky]

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Like all premeds, I would have relished the experience of volunteering at a hospital. Unfortunately, they only allow you to do meager tasks, like paper work, without much interaction with patients. I'm contemplating whether it's worthwhile to do this anyway. Anybody have a similar opinion?

 

[jlee9531]

paperwork?
menial tasks?

i dont know what hospitals you have been to........but at least the people i know and my own personal experiences.........

my whole time volunteering was basically with other patients and helping them feel better........

other things such as being an ER volunteer are available and thats pretty intense stuff.............

ive never really heard of anyone working with paperwork unless they volunteered for some sort of medical records deal or working in a small doctor/dentist office sort of deal....

sorry if i come off as rude sounding......not what i mean at all......but im just surprised thats all....

 

[sacrament]

I would say that the single biggest problem with hospitals is that they're full of sick people.

 

[kito]

 

[commy-superman]

My advice and probably everybody elses is to ask to be placed somewhere else or go to another hospital. dont waste your time.

 

[twinklz]

It depends if they really need you to be doing these 'menial' tasks.

For instance, I volunteer at a free medical Ccinic and I'm the only student who is volunteering to do the data entry of all our patients. It's gotta be done, and, no, its not fun. But its more important than watching the pharmacist take drugs out of the cabinet or watching a lab tech draw blood, even if those do involve more medically oriented experience.

Volunteering is helping someone else out. If you want to to have a good clinical experience with lots of patient contact try shadowing a physician. But don't pretend to be altruistic only for your own personal gain.

Jut my .02

 

[docchick]

I had the same experience as Chankovsky.
The first year I volunteered at the hospital, I was placed in records, which basically means they had me file all day long. It was the worst volunteering experience ever! The clerks would give me a cart piled with files and I would go down to the basement back corner room and file...and file...and file. I never saw a patient, or doctor, or nurse...just some dustbunnies 🙂

But after I put in my time there, they moved me up the ladder - I worked in some pretty cool places after that...with people!!

I guess the moral of the story is you might have to do some 'menial' stuff before you get to the fun stuff...That's how it works with everything.

 

[Chankovsky]

what do u recommend i do to get more patient contact

 

[jlee9531]

Originally posted by Chankovsky
what do u recommend i do to get more patient contact

if you dont think you are gonna get any patient contact at the hospital you are at...........then go somewhere else...........but i think you should ask the hospital first if there are any opportunities that you can move up to......

if not go to a place that actually wants volunteers to interact like a children's hopsital......(that is if you like children of course 😉)......or join a program that helps the elderly.........

theres stuff out there...just gotta look for it and find it in your area.

 

[Manual]

I guess I am lucky, they threw me right into the ER, I went through no orientation, they just said, "you look like you have a good head on your shoulders: to the ER with you!!!"

Still it isn't that much different, it isn't the craziest ER with traumas 24-7, just a steady stream of old people and panicky mothers with their healthy babies. What I do like is talking to the docs who most of the time will try to explain things to you (though there are some who just sit their stone cold, they are stunning). It is also fun to watch all the politics a doc has to deal with, seriously it is on so many levels, they get it from the nurses, the patients, other doctors, the administration, the lab, relatives....

You won't learn much medical stuff volunteering at the hospital; you are honestly relegated to supporting roles. -- My dreams of the doctor being short handed for a code and yelling, "Nathan get in here now!! Help me save this man's life" have been dashed. -- What you will get out of it is an understanding of the hospital environment, the politics involved, and what makes a good doctor (I always watch how the doctors and nurses interact with patients). It is an invaluable experience if you approach it the right way; you get out what you put in.

 

[skypilot]

If you really want some hands on take a four week nurses aide course to get certified, and then work at a nursing home.

I have heard that VA hospitals offer more patient contact too.

 

[Fritz]

Unfortunately because of the new regulations there is not much you can do to interact with patients. The hospital cannot allow you to do anything because of the liability. But you can always talk to people, make them feel better etc.
Try to get a family practice doctor and shadow him/her, it will give you a lot more exposure to patients than volunteering.