My Volunteer Story

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So Before I begin my clinical next semester i decided to volunteer at my mother's hospital to get the feel of the hospital vicinity. It Changed My Life Literally!.I learned so much within those 12 hrs i saw bed sores, blood transfusion procedures, a pt being incubated, discharges, admissions, the lovely families and their every 5 mins questions, the actual shortage of nursing staff, a pt on house arrest, an alcoholic with cirrhosis of the liver and a drug addict . But with all that going on i could never forget this patient that I took care of .The patient fell and damaged his left shoulder. I fed him, helped changed him and just talked to him to keep his spirits up. I am a very inquisitive person by nature so i just kept asking him questions and kept a normal conversation with this man. I found out he was a heroin addict and was given methadone which prevents withdrawal symptoms in patients who were addicted to opiate drugs and it relieves pain. He kept talking about this medication called methadone all through out his feeding and changing. I asked my mom out of curiosity what is that drug used for and she told him to tell me but he was too ashamed. From that moment on I continued my conversation with him normally so he wouldn't feel uncomfortable but all through out the conversation i was thinking why?, why would you continue to let an addiction take over your life at your age? I understand it's just apart of people lifestyle but it mostly made me think of addicts in my own family. Even though i just meet him i cared i asked him if he ever thought about rehab , therapy or detox. He answered no slowly and said if he could he would. I accepted his answer and i didn't expect him to change, i know he will continue to use heroin, drink and other drugs just based off the conversation. I wasn't disappointed tho it was a weird feeling , i was worried for him, his life, his health and his family. Although i was just there to volunteer this man changed my perspective on people in general. It's like i had an epiphany i just thought about everything he said listened closely and tried to put my self in his position. I felt sympathy for him.. . . .. . . . .. . . and that feeling right there re-assured me this is the career for me. Nursing and caring for people back to recovery was truly my passion. Even when nursing school gets tough i will always remember this patient and know "HEY I WILL MAKE IT BECAUSE I"M IN IT FOR THE RIGHT REASONS".:nurse:

P.S. .That same pt two weeks later still asks for me , I guess i impacted his life too.

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thank you for sharing your story. Sometimes we get so bogged down and overwhelmed we forget why we are working so hard ....thanks for the reminder!

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. . a patient being incubated . . Now, THAT sounds interesting.

(among a multitude of other problems)

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Specializes in Emergency.

Great story! Amazing to see every aspect of human life unravel before you under one roof.

One question:

.... i saw bed sores, blood transfusion procedures, a pt being incubated, .....

You saw a patient being incubated? Did you mean intubated? Theres a HUGE difference ;)

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Thank you all for your replies. I had an amazing experience at the hospital and just thought i would share it with my fellow nursing students. Excuse me for the confusion i meant intubated ( my computer automatically spell checks my spelling ). But any who the respiratory therapist inserted a plastic tube in the trachea of a pt's windpipe and administered a particular drug. It was very exciting and intense to watch .

& I am so grateful that i was able to volunteer to get the feel for it. Thanks again everyone, && to ALL OF YOU CONTINUING THE SPRING SEMESTER . GOOD LUCK & BEST WISHES AND PRAYERS!! WE ARE ONE STEP CLOSER TO OUR DREAMS:nurse:

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