Volunteering Question

[BeesAngel]

Hi, I am not a nursing student but hope to be soon. I am applying to nursing school. I plan on starting to volunteer at a local hospital to get an idea of what it is like in a hospital atmosphere and try to get an idea if this is something I really want to persue.

My question is this, the hospital I am going to volunteer at lets you pick and match up with one of the following:

Admitting

Breast Cancer Center

Emergency Room

Gift Shop

Information Desk

International Patient Services

NICU Baby Rocking

Patient Escort

Patient Visiting

Physical Therapy

Radiology

Surgery Waiting Room

Which one would be the best for me to pick to get the most experience or the best idea of what working in a hospital is really like. Will volunteering really help me get any kind of idea at all? What else would you suggest I try doing instead of volunteering? As nurses, do you find that volunteers get in the way or are annoying?

I'd appreciate any help or answers! Thank you.

Corine

[akcarmean, LPN]

I can't say for sure but I think that patient visiting would be good. You would get to be in different areas of the hospital to be able to view and understand different departments. Part of nursing is pt. contact and in clinicals being able to over come your fear of what you are doing and how to be comfortable doing any procedure with a pt. even if it is just helping to the bathroom. Just my thoughts.

Angelia

[BeesAngel]

I can't say for sure but I think that patient visiting would be good. You would get to be in different areas of the hospital to be able to view and understand different departments. Part of nursing is pt. contact and in clinicals being able to over come your fear of what you are doing and how to be comfortable doing any procedure with a pt. even if it is just helping to the bathroom. Just my thoughts.

Angelia

thanks!

[booklovinrn]

Hi! I am not a nursing student yet but I did recently start volunteering at our local hospital. I wanted to observe and learn as much as possible. I am volunteering in the ER. Because I teach fulltime and could only volunteer in the evenings or weekends my only choices were gift shop, info desk or ER. So far it is really interesting and fun. I don't get to be around the nurses much though, or see patients being treated. Mainly I greet people when they first come in, help them fill out forms and let family members back in the patient area one at a time.

I'm sure it is different at every hospital, but I'm definitely glad I'm doing it.

[Thunderwolf, MSN, RN]

Volunteering, I'm sure, is utilized somewhat differently from one hospital to the next. Like anything else, it's utilization may have changed over the years due to the push for "customer service"...which often could equate to having smiling faces as greeters or running errands(such as book/magazine/paper delivery) or assisting pts at discharge (wheelchairing them from their room to their car). Many places do not have volunteers on the actual medical or surgical units due to liability issues. So, in this case, you won't see much. To be honest, volunteering is a good thing. But, if you are looking for experience, it may not be your best bet. I recommend getting a part time job as a unit/floor secretary as a possible option. You get the exposure, without needing to provide direct care. You get acquainted with the hospital environment, the tests and procedures, the nurses and the doctors (doctors like secretaries), how things get accomplished/not accomplished, the types of patients you are likely to see, etc. Great exposure for a person who is at that point in his/her life and wondering if nursing is right for me. And if you do decide to become a nurse, you'll have that exposure under your belt and confidence in mind that..."yes, nursing is what I want to do". I offer this up as a suggestion because many may have entered and completed nursing without this knowledge, but became frustrated and disappointed in that "it was not what I imagined (or seen on TV)." Good luck with whatever you decide.

[medic471]

volunteering in a hospital is a good way to get familiar with how the pts present, i have alot of new nusing students in our school with no med experiance at all , just some advise,shellshock is a reality in nursing , you get the good with the bad , , i started off as a emt , now a paramedic , and a senior in my rn program i also work in a busy er ,that worked very well for me , so if you can try a local vol.ambulance to start get the feel of what the pts look like in their setting at home and working with the hospital staff and it will help you better adjust for the nursing program , or being a pt care tech working with a rn staff is also a good way to start , but remember when you start your nursing program , its pt care thats important , hope it helps