I've started volunteering at the hospital. It's a good experience being on a ward, as the last time I was in hospital was for an hour or two when my niece was born. I am only a helper and so I don't have any important jobs to do, but I have been making beds and cleaning things and filling things up and helping give meals out.
It's a really big hospital and my ward is near the very top - I actually walked up to it today and it took me about 15 minutes and I had to stop to keep getting my breath back! It was visiting time and I didn't feel like going in a packed lift.
It's not like Casualty or Holby City. Everything is very slow and quiet. The odd beep, phone call, the squeak of the refreshment trolley. I think I was quite surprised by that as even though the current job I have - working on the checkouts in a supermarket - isn't as responsible - It seems far more intense although there is less skill involved! My job is constant and there is no let up, you can't walk away or anything, and your breaks are very strict and you have to be back pronto after them, whereas in this ward they go for numerous breaks and sit about often.
I have to say I've noticed this of the domestic assistants, support workers, etc, but not of the nurses but they sit at the main reception desk thing.
I really am enjoying myself there but I feel like a spare part as there isn't really much I can do. I feel eager to do more. I talk to the patients and I feel like I really want to care for them. The majority of patients are elderly. I sort of have an overprotectiveness of the elderly as I know they can be ignored and uncared about. I'm not saying that happens on this ward, but I just feel like I have more to give than tidying up. Hm.
I'm hoping to apply for University this September for nursing but I am still making my mind up which branch I want to go into-It's a scary decision as it will affect the rest of my life.
3 comments:
This sounds really interesting. It's great that you volunteer for things like this - you must acquire loads of useful experience.
A nursing qualification doesn't have to change the rest of your life... you always have options. If you find out in ten years time that actually you'd rather do something else, you still can... and maybe you'd never find that out if you didn't do nursing now. I think there's a lot to be said for doing things because that's what you want now - but that's mostly because I'd never do anything if I didn't think that way!
Thankyou Jenny, that's very wise advice that has given me a perspective I didn't think about before :)
You should always follow your heart and believe in yourself as you only live once. Haha sorry for that overload of cliches in one sentence.
But there is so much of life to live and as long as you are enjoying yourself as you are doing it I think that is what counts - nothing is forever if you don't want it to be.
That was an impressive amount of clichés in one sentence! ;)
But clichés are clichés for a reason and that's because they're usually true. In our part of the world we are lucky enough to have choices, and that being the case, we should choose the ones that make us happy.
Good luck whatever you decide.
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