Hi,
I just started volunteering in an ER. I'm having trouble finding stuff to do. The nurses seem to be too busy to point me in the right direction, and while they gave me an orientation packet, one of them said that it was out of date and needs to be updated. So I just end up wandering around aimlessly because I'm afraid of doing something wrong or doing something I'm not supposed to.
What would be the best course of action? Any suggestions on some "safe" stuff I can do? I volunteer for one 4 hour block every week.
Thanks!
Ah, clinical volunteering. Unfortunately it's always like this at most places -- there often isn't much structure for volunteers.
There are a few things you can do to help offset this. The key though, is to be forward and take initiative. Nobody else is going to make it easier for you but yourself!
1. Get to know the charge nurse/head nurse (whoever directs the nurses in the ER, but depending on the size of the ER there may not be one). They are often pretty good at integrating volunteers into the unit. Just ask a nurse who the charge nurse is today, and even if they don't have a charge nurse they will understand what you are looking for and help you figure it out
🙂 Then introduce yourself to the person, tell them you're interested in healthcare and you really want to learn more/do anything you can to help out when you're on your shifts.
2. Just ask nurses or other staff what you can do to help them today.
3. Are there patient care techs (CNAs) that work at your ER? If there are, they are often a great way to teach you the inner workings of a hospital and they appreciate it because you can help with their non-clinical duties to make their lives easier. You can help them with things like stocking, making beds, cleaning rooms, etc. Also, many CNAs are actually students of some type and working to pay their way through school, so they might be more knowledgeable than you think. At the SICU where I volunteer at, most of the CNAs are almost done with nursing school, and one of them is pre-med actually.
4. Depending on your ER, you can just be friendly with patients and their families and make small talk. Please note that you should steer the conversation AWAY from talking about why they are in the hospital, because hospital staff often frown upon volunteers talking about a patient's illness and treatment. But, as a physician you will need some damn good people skillz so you should start practicing being able to have conversations with strangers
🙂
That's about all I have for now. Hope that helps!
