WHAT I'VE LEARNED

What working in a hospital will teach you

As someone who is highly interested in the medical field, my experience volunteering for Union Hospital was ultimately a very valuable and worthwhile practicum. While it can seem that a lot of the work you do as a volunteer is busy work, just simply being around a hospital and seeing everything going on in every department gave me a feel for what it’s like to work in this field.

Especially working in transportation, I was able to learn about a lot of the common equipment used around the hospital and new innovations being introduced. I visited nearly every department in the hospital, from the industrial sized laundry room to the ICU and Psychiatric Ward. While as a volunteer you don't have much responsibility given to you, just the things that you are able to observe are valuable in themselves. In down time, I got to talk to the employees and the heads of the departments and ask questions about how they got to where they were and really dig deep into what its like working in their positions. I learned a lot about the true inner workings of a hospital and saw a lot of the behind-the-scenes work that many don't often see. As many of us have visited or been to a hospital at least once, there really is a lot that goes into the care of the hundreds of patients if not more of the whole hospital. Yet, the amount of care and consideration that is necessary and goes into each individual patient is what was truly astonishing. I think I ultimately gained a deeper appreciation for the work that out healthcare workers do on a daily basis. 

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In addition, one interesting aspect of my experience was that the hospital was in the process of being bought out by another much larger hospital. The area that Union Hospital is located in is known for its high concentration of drug abuse and drug related crime. As a result, the hospital was in a position that it couldn't handle the overwhelming influx of patients from drug related incidences, often regulars or recurring incidences. Before I was working there, things were looking dim for the hospital, financially and internally. I was able to see the transformation of the hospital as new policies and protocols were put into place and new ways of business were implemented. It was a compelling perspective and intriguing to see be able to compare the ineffective protocols of a hospital versus the ways a more successful establishment did the same thing.  

I would say that this experience is definitely valuable for those interested in a health career or still deciding.