Direct Patient Care

I've added a new aspect to my volunteer work. I'm now working directly with patients. I had training the other day and am on a general patient floor (vs. Cardiac, Pediatrics, ICU, etc.). Since the school I want to apply to primarily requires direct patient care hours and my class conflicts with one of my volunteer days, I decided now would be a good time to jump right into patient care and get a full 8 hrs/week. I receive another 3-4 hrs continuing Caregiver.

So what do I do in my new patient care role? I help serve the meals, feed patients who need help, collect trays, run errands to the hospital pharmacy, lab, or storage supply, change beds, refresh patients' water pitchers, and refill supply boxes in patient rooms (usually just gloves). I'm not allowed to move patients or go into rooms marked "isolation". Usually these rooms are precautionary for infections. Some rooms are marked with another special card that is much more severe, usually due to TB infection. Now I know why we are all required to prove immunity to MMR and TB. And I'm glad I am. TB is something I thought had pretty much been wiped out in the US. But, this being NYC (Brooklyn, especially) with a constant influx of tourists and immigrants who may have not had immunizations, it's quite common I hear. At times, there can be 4-6 patients with TB. Eeps. I wear gloves for everything. You would too.

Don't Hesitate

"If you hesitate, you're dead." This is what my Norwegian friend told me as a car sped through. I remembered it recently, while planning my PA goals. It's become a mantra. Nike's "Just Do It", is another one I try to repeat over and over. I can't let myself hesitate or think too much of what must be overcome.

Hospital Volunteer Work

So I have 1000 hours of direct patient care work to do. One thousand. At first it didn't sound like a lot. But then I did the math and realized this was going to take me 2 full years, 10 hrs/week, every week. I had no time to lose. I started sending out hospital applications online, thinking it wouldn't be so difficult. Well it was. No one responded from Hospital1. However, I applied to Hospital2 who responded right away, asking me to come in for an interview.

Before starting the volunteering, I had to attend a 1 hr orientation (48 of us attended) and get my medicals done (MMR, TB, drug test clearance). I began with the Caregiver program with the hospital. It's been pretty satisfying. I hand out information (support resources, numbers to call) about the hospital to caregivers who are often overlooked during patient care. We're there for emotional support as the continuing care of someone can be draining whether at home or at a hospital. We're also there for the patient who often look like they just wouldn't mind having someone to talk to.

Sometimes the visitors/family are super receptive; sometimes they're suspicious. I've had several caregivers who were not happy with the service or stressed from caring for a loved one in the hospital and in a horrible mood. But it's incredibly satisfying when they warm up. I'll have a good 15-20 minute conversation with them while they open up about their life, talk about the patient (or the patient joins in the discussion), ask me what I'm doing this for, etc. Over that time, they relax because they're able to vent and feel they've been heard. It can make the whole afternoon worth all the other crabby visitors when you come across one of these people. Same when a caregiver welcomes you with a smile and fully appreciates what you're doing. Makes you wonder how much that would help a patient if all the doctors and nurses could be like this with the patients.

The First Day of the Rest of My Life

Welcome! Here, I’ll be chronicling my bumpy path towards a lofty goal: becoming a Physician Assistant. It is not really a "quick change" actually, and it feels like there's a really long road ahead of me. The process began in the fall of last year, so don’t be surprised to read some back-stories. This could be a very short blog, or rather hopefully, a nice long blog with a happy ending.