My experience as a clinical hospital volunteer at Dayton Children’s Hospital in the summer of 2017 critically influenced my career trajectory. For the duration of the summer, I trained to assist doctors, nurses, and patients in the Surgery Department as well as the Emergency Department.
In the Surgery Department, I reported to the recovery area for patients undergoing an outpatient procedure before they were released to the care of their parents. In this role, I often prepped the rooms for a new patients, wheeled the unconscious patients in their beds into a recovery room, checked in when the doctors were not present, transported the patients out of the hospital to their cars via wheelchair after discharge, and then cleaned their room and any toys they may have used during their stay.
While assisting in the Emergency Department, my roles were largely the same though less defined. I would often spend my time sterilizing toys for the rooms and in the waiting room, directed patients to their rooms and from the emergency room to other departments or the pharmacy, and observed the interactions of doctors or nurses with the patients. Different from the surgical duties, I frequently entertained the kids and their parents alike while they waited for the doctors’ attention, which we all know can be a testy task in a crowded emergency room. Because of the high turnover of ill individuals in this facility, I felt that even my work to sterilize equipment was well received and necessary for optimal patient care.
When I am home during the school year and over the various breaks, I spend a few hours at the hospital to remind myself of the unseen work that contributes critically to the operation of healthcare.
