Health and social care is one of the largest volunteering sectors in the UK. This includes organisations like the NHS and charities which improve the wellbeing of people of all ages. So what do helpers actually get involved with? The opportunities are more diverse than we imagined as our bloggers reveal.

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Wednesday Sep 15, 2010

Why Do I Continue To Volunteer?. . . Because Simple Things Make A Difference.

In my previous posts I have explained why and how I began volunteering but I have said very little about the reasons behind why I still continue to volunteer.

So why do I still do it?

Aside from meeting some fantastic people and the experience I have gained from working in a hospital environment I think it's mainly due to the amazing feeling when you know you have made life a little better for someone by helping with simple tasks that make volunteering so worth while.

Simple tasks that the ever-busy nursing staff cannot spend time doing really do make a huge difference. Helping a stroke patient turn pages in their magazine, spending time in conversation with a young patient who has had surgery and is anxiously waiting for some company at visiting time or sitting with an elderly patient and listening to their life stories as they wait for test results and not having the need to rush off to see other patients or fill in forms. These, along with many other simple tasks are things that most nursing staff would love to do, but simply do not have the time. This is the area where hospital volunteers can really make a difference to a patients experience of being in hospital.

There are no words that can describe the feeling you get after seeing a stroke patient return a smile for the first time in 3 months - just because of something you did. There are no words to explain the feeling you get when a patient says "Thank You"- just for spending time talking with them. There are no words to explain the feeling you get when an elderly patients daughter thanks you for spending visiting time with her mum when she was unable to visit the previous evening....

Simple things really do make huge difference and there are no words to explain the feeling you get when YOU are the one that made that difference.

=] G

Posted by Geraint ( 12:12 PM )
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Monday Sep 13, 2010

The Very Beginning. . .

Whilst planning to apply for University to study Nursing, I was advised to get as much work experience as possible to enhance my application. This led me to undergo 2 weeks placement at a local hospital observing in theatre, endoscopy, A&E and several different wards. However the NHS Trust could only offer me a placement for one week and although this was a great help and gave me an insight into how different areas of the hospital work I wanted something more long term to enhance my chances of getting into university.

Whilst walking through the hospital corridors, I saw a leaflet for hospital volunteering which I took home but did nothing about. Several months later I found the leaflet at the back of a drawer and decided to find out more about the opportunity. I liked the sound of the opportunity and thought it would be a good thing to put on my CV and application forms so I sent for an application form. This first application didn't get completed as I didn't really want to spend my time working without getting paid. However several weeks later I was reminded that I really did need the experience I could gain from volunteering if I was going to apply for university. I sent for another application form with the view of volunteering for no more than a few months but.3 years later I am still volunteering and enjoying every moment.

My first shift was in the Emergency Department and it is here that I have enjoyed working the most. As one of the first volunteers to be placed in the department it was all very new to me, the volunteer centre staff and the department staff. The first few shifts were rather daunting as the department gets very busy at times and nobody really knew who I was or what I could do to help. I stuck with it and after getting to know the staff and them getting to know me we developed a broader range of tasks that volunteers could get on with within the department from helping in the office to sitting with patients who are often scared and need reassurance. 3 years on I am now helping to train new volunteers and educate staff about the role of emergency department volunteers and how we can be used effectively to help staff, patients and relatives within the department. 

So whilst my initial reason for volunteering may have been rather selfish and primarily to enhance my CV and university application, it has resulted in me gaining an insight into just how beneficial the role of a volunteer can be to staff, patients and relatives and the realisation that the smallest things often make a huge difference as you'll see from my next post.

=] G

Posted by Geraint ( 10:52 AM )
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Thursday Sep 09, 2010

The story so far

Hello, I’m Geraint. I am 21 years old and live in South Wales. Ever since I was a child I have always wanted to work in a health and social care setting. Initially as a paramedic (watching ‘Casualty’ on the TV spoiled that idea for a while when one of the paramedics was thrown off a roof!) but more recently I have been interested in Nursing Care.

In order to fulfil my dreams of working in health care, I initially studied for a BTEC National Diploma in Health Studies. After one year I had the idea of becoming a doctor so dropped out of the BTEC course after 1 year in order to study the A Levels I would need to get into medical school. Less than a year into the courses I realised I didn’t have what it takes to become a doctor. My grades were poor, I was struggling with the sciences and my head of school told me I’d “never make it to medical school”. This was a bitter blow for me. Usually such comments make me more determined to prove people wrong. But this time, he was right. When I got my A Level results in August 2008 I remember thinking that I should have stuck with my first BTEC course. I had failed Biology, got a D in Psychology and an E in AS Level Chemistry. I remember thinking at the time that maybe I should have stuck with my first BTEC course?  If I had, I would have been a first year student nurse instead of receiving poor A Level Results. If that was the case, I would have graduated as a staff nurse and started my first nursing job this month. But do I regret my decisions? No - not at all. I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and as the song says “Que Sera, Sera” – “What Will Be, Will Be”.  I have met some fantastic people, gained some awesome experiences and had fun along the way.

Even though I have volunteered as a first aider for many years I have more recently become a Hospital Volunteer. I have been doing this for the past 3 years, primarily based in the Emergency Department but often working on various other wards including surgical, stroke, rehabilitation, and respiratory wards. This has given me a huge insight into the world of Health and Social Care and I believe it has enhanced my views of not only health and social care but other aspects of my life.

In future posts I will tell you more about why I began volunteering, more about my role as a Hospital Volunteer and hopefully share some of my experiences and memories of volunteering with you along with my views and my outlook on situations that arise as a result.

Geraint

=] x

Posted by Geraint ( 5:00 PM )
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