What do you do to volunteer and give back?

[traumaRUs]

My volunteer career began before my nursing career - I was a candy-striper when I was 14 til about 16 years of age. This was back in the day where we wore white/red striped dresses. Don't know if this even exists today - lol

I volunteered for military service but not sure that counts as I got paid for it. Had a great time too.

Then, came kids and we've all probably spent countless hours as the room mother, scout leader, Sunday School teacher - between my husband and myself I can't even figure out the number of hours spent helping out with our sons' activities. However, this was all a labor of love.

We moved to our rural community 20 years ago. In our area, we have an all volunteer fire/EMS dept. We cover a wide area consisting of three small (pre-hospital RN which in IL is a license issued by the IL Dept of Professional and Financial Regulation. I did both fire and EMS for 10 years and then changed to EMS only as I was having difficulty with the time commitment for fire training. I drive an ambulance and can drive the firetruck too. A little secret: I love the lights and siren!

Our dept runs about 500 calls per year. We actually don't transport patients as the "big city" ambulance service comes to the location of the call and we transfer care to them. However, as we are first on the scene, we have providers for both basic life support (BLS) as well as advanced life support (ALS) care. Many times we make the difference between survivability and death to our pts. Its especially important during inclement weather as the distance from the "big city" to our little area might mean a 20-30 minute transit time.

It's a huge responsibility. Totally a different ballgame from being in a hospital where resources are unending. Starting IVs while a pt is getting extricated, assessing a newborn in a house that has no electricity because it's been turned off due to lack of payment are all challenges. Giving bad news is a challenge too without the support staff. In the pre-hospital environment, we don't transport dead people. If they are dead when we get there, they stay there. This is out in the open, family/friends are all around. Performing CPR, intubating a critically ill patient, extricating patients from mangled vehicles all require a calm and confident provider. There is no social worker, chaplain or another provider to explain what is happening. We are IT!

We currently have approx 50 EMS personnel: most are BLS providers; we have 4 ALS providers. I'm currently the only PHRN on our dept.

Much of my time too is spent teaching - not in a classroom, but rather out on calls. We have many young, sometimes idealistic young people who volunteer. However, they might not have much life experience. One of the pitfalls of a rural fire dept is that you often know your patients. Thats hard - you talk with Mr. Smith on Sunday at church, then on Tuesday, you are called to his house due to chest pain. Its a tiny bit easier for me; being a healthcare provider because I am able to put on my "game face" and carry on doing what needs to be done.

Some days are just hard though.

However, volunteering provides me with a sense of self-worth. I do love my jobs but lets face it - we usually go to work for the paycheck.

Volunteering fills a void that a paid job can't...

So...tell us - what do you to give back? Mission trips, free clinic, fire dept or something completely different....

[Caroline123]

Me too! My soft side is for animals. They are so vulnerable and have no voice. I volunteer a couple times a year at the local shelter as a "bottle feeder" to all the little baby critters who for whatever reason no longer have their moms. I love it

[gunny48]

Started medical "career" as an ED volunteer not knowing anything over 25 years ago. Once they figured out I was willing to do "scut work" they let me do more & learn more about what they were doing. Got interested, got "First Responder" training and eventually "Emergency Medical Technician". Once I had that I added volunteering for the Jacksonville Emergency Medical Auxiliary which was attached to the Fire Department. By now had at least a reasonable chance of "doing no harm" but still wanted to know more. Applied & was accepted to RN program & doing night/weekend studies graduated in 2006. Since then I have been a weekend volunteer RN at the Volunteers In Medicine free clinic plus am still a volunteer in the ED where I first started. Bottom line - I have always been a "volunteer" since I have never been paid as an RN. I guess that doesn't really count but I really enjoy making a difference & still do "scut work"!

[Jules A, MSN]

After losing my son to suicide, I became involved with The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. I serve on the board, I am the chair for our annual fundraiser and I am an advocate. I have met with members of Congress to fight for change in legislation in mental health initiatives. At my local area, I meet with community members in various organizations to educate them about suicide warning signs, resources and what to do in crisis. As a hospital supervisor, I saw the delays in getting help to those that come into the acute setting and the need to change access to mental health for improved outcomes. This is a much neglected area that impacts all of our communities. There is stigma attached to a mental illness which further perpetuates the problem causing those that suffer not to seek help. No matter what your interest is, giving back in our communities only makes things better for all of us. Thanks to those that volunteer.

I am so sorry for your unimaginable loss and appreciate the work you have done to help others.

[Axgrinder]

I do TNR {trap-neuter(spay)-return} for feral cats. I also support 2 separate feral cat colonies in my neighborhood. Food stations, insulated sleeping boxes, medical care, et al.

Not many of my neighbors like the ferals, and sabotage the feeding stations, at times poison some of the cats. It's heart breaking.

Not all are ferals - some are clearly acclimated to humans, and are abandoned or lost. I've reunited some with micro-chips with their owners, but not many.

It's a big job - overwhelming in fact. My husband and adult son help, but it's more work then the 3 of us are capable of. It would sure be nice if some of the other neighborhood residents could also help TNR to cut down some of the unwanted litters in our area.

It's not easy, but it's a labor of love. I can't turn my back on on a starving or sick animal. I wish there was a way to incorporate more of them into families, but not many people are interested. The love these cats give back once settled is huge. That's what makes all the hard worth while in the long run.

[adebola]

I started volunteer services at Hospice in Texas, also at teaching/tertiary hospitals in my home country at medical and surgical emergency units for adults and pediatrics. I reached out to community to give free home health care, health talks to women and adolescents on health topics appropriate for their age and groups. I have written two health books on illness prevention and health promotion and I gave out many copies on charity to educate people on health matters. Altogether this is my six years of involvement in volunteer work. I am also involved in visit the prisoners to give Psychotherapy and support. It is very fulfilling giving back to the people. The knowledge of nursing as a BSN, RN with Psych and Midwifery from my Country gave me the privilege to reach out to all aspect of human health. I still want to do more.

[db2xs]

I'm going to sound awful, but I think my almost fifteen years in the medical field is enough for humans. Maybe a five or ten to a homeless person once in a while, a twenty to the Red Cross. Animals are where I shine. I've fostered and adopted many rescues, actually volunteered at the APL, and they've gotten a few hundred from me for seven? years. I just have so much more sympathy for the furry in need, cuz they love you no matter what. Even dogs rescued from dog fighting rings are sweet most of the time.

Why do you think you sound awful? True compassion and intelligence means being compassionate to all living entities (and no, I'm not a Christian). Animals are awesome.

[SiwanRN]

I volunteer with my local Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) unit. While the larger purpose of the organization is be extra boots on the ground when the you know what hits the fan (our big thing is being able to set up mass points of dispensing for vaccinations in pandemics or prophylactic antibiotics for airborne anthrax attacks), we also engage the community in emergency preparedness. Our current project is reaching out to underserved populations like our local refugee communities, the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, and ethnic minorities in the area in order to help them build emergency kits for their families to be better prepared for disasters. We also staff first aid booths at marathons, local fairs, and outdoor concerts as volunteers. I've personally been tapped by the Red Cross earlier this year through the MRC unit in order to help staff an extended shelter operation when the local Red Cross didn't have enough RN coverage to keep the shelter open. So I guess technically I am a Red Cross volunteer as well since I had to get credentialed with them for that mission.

I'd like to be able to volunteer with a global health project, I'm just not sure which one yet. It's hard to figure out something like that when I work full time (why yes I am a public health nurse, how could you tell) and am also a full time graduate student. If I'm lucky enough to be selected, I hope to go to Ghana next year for 2 weeks with my university to work on things like HIV care, maternal child health, and malaria prevention.

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

Wow - from people volunteering out of a terrible tragedy to animal lovers, EMS folks, financial support. We as nurses are a great group!!!

[JinnSchlajfertig]

I volunteer at my local police department on the Victim Support Team to provide services to DV victims after an incident. We get to drive a detective's car, use the police radio, and do some work out of the precincts. Much of the work is on the phone, but a lot of it is in a victim's home after an incident (and the scene is safe). We mostly provide referrals to resources (free cell phone that the offender doesn't know about, shelter, transportation, education, safety planning, etc.). We also pick up (from the jail) and process felony case reports. Those can be very difficult to read, as you can imagine. It is an intense gig and we do it once a month.

Here is the link to the Victim Support Team's website if you are interested. I think every city should have this!

Victim Support Team - Seattle Police Department

My first volunteer job was as a rape crisis phone counselor when I was age 19-22. I also helped run groups for victims.

I also did a year as a disaster relief case manager for the American Red Cross as an AmeriCorps member. I did six weeks of training. The day I was given a phone and desk was September 11th, 2001. So I joined many from my team to do relief work in NYC. I did two 3-week tours there.

I have been a nurse for 5 years. Since then I have worked in detox, inpatient psych and now a men's prison. I have worked in the psych/homeless services field since 1998. So I probably shouldn't do such heavy volunteer work. I get enough stress and drama at work. Maybe I am an adrenaline junky.

I think for my next volunteer job I will work with abandoned cats. Because I'm a big cat lady.

[wishiwereanurse, BSN, RN]

i don't yet, but I have always been curious as to what is it like being a volunteer firefighter....

[Panful, LPN]

I volunteer for APL..chili supper, pet park etc.

I have a tendency to feel bad when I get OT, so I will spend it on one of my pts. I found an old rocker and had the seat replaced. I gave it to the pt who was asking for one..

I donate to St Judes and Susan Komen. I recently gave blood for the first time . I just enjoy helping out when possible

[ladyl54]

I volunteer for our community's hospital's program called "no one dies alone". We are a group that sits with people within the last 72 hrs. of life. The patient, their family, doctor or nurses can request our services. We do no "nursing" duties. We are only there to provide a calming presence. I did this before I went to nursing school and continue to do since graduation. The floor nurses are thankful for our presence. We do alert them when the patient is restless or is having more trouble breathing but nothing more. The head of the program has gotten this program certified by our state nursing board to qualify as CMEs for any RN.