Witheney

When I retire I plan to volunteer at my local big hospital. If YOU work with volunteers, what is the most useful task they can perform for you?

I cannot believe the hours some of you work. 12 hour shifts - 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for example. I simply cannot imagine working those ideas. I'm a legal secretary and I feel my day of 9 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. is very long. Dinner at 7 p.m. and I'm usually in a coma by 10 p.m. If I had to work with my colleagues for 12 hours in a day, I would be totally mental. I've read all the threads here about the pros and cons of working 12 hour shifts. I still find it hard to imagine it though.

Any preference? How are they different in terms of working for them?

Can a person graduate from school with a medical degree and immediately hang out his shingle as a physician? OR must all med school grads serve a residency first? Is that residency always in a hospital? Is the residency for at least 4 years starting with year 1 as an intern?

Reading the threads, I get the impression that there is very little socializing with the residents in or out of work. Is there any socialization at all? Do the residents even eat in the nurses' facilities? Are there no picnics, Xmas parties, whatever where you can socialize with the residents and have some fun with them? Do nurses and residents ever go for a beer after work together, that kind of thing?

Your cafetaria's selection sounds very appetizing. Gosh, the volunteers must want to work there for hours if they can get a free meal every 4 hours. I work from 9 to 5.30 as a legal secretary and the only free refreshment is coffee, tea or water. After that, we're on our own.

Where do you eat your meals when you are working? Do you bring food from home or does your job offer a canteen? Is the food offered to you good? Is the canteen food subsidized or is it free?

Thanks for the replies so far. Most interesting. I would hate to do anything in a hospital to tick off the nursing staff. After all, one wants them on one's side.:)

what would you say are the 5 worse things a patient can do while admitted in a hospital? 5 bad things that would make his/her stay worse than it needs to be and makes more work for the staff or makes things more difficult than they need to be?

What would you say the 5 best things are that a patient can do to improve her/his stay in a hospital? I am not a nurse, but would love to know this in case I were ever a hospital patient.