My name is Erna, I’m 20 years old and currently studying Psychology at university. I have been a volunteer for the NHS for a couple of years and I’m going to be telling you a bit about my experience.
What made me start volunteering?
I started volunteering after I decided to take a break from studying. I wanted to do something meaningful to fill up some of my time when a family friend who is a volunteer mentioned the role to me. I was immediately drawn to it.
What is my role?
I am an NHS volunteer in a hospital in Bristol. I work on the neurosurgery ward.
This is an example of a typical shift but each one varies depending on the patients and their needs on the day.
What is a normal shift like?
9.30 am – I enter the hospital and sign in. Go up to my ward and walk through being greeted by all the staff.
9.50am – I will get the tea trolley ready and topped up ready for the 10am tea round.
10am – I walk from one end of the ward to the other making hot drinks for patients. I always take a piece of paper with me to make note of any patients who I think might need some of my time later on.
10.45am – I will go back and sort the kitchen out.
11am – I will go around again, collecting mugs and collecting any lunch and dinner menus for the next day.
11.30am – 12.30pm – I will go around and help any patients who need it with filling in their menus.
12.30 – 1.30pm – lunch – getting patients their food and a hot drink if they want one#
1.30 – 2pm – clearing up lunch service
2 – 3pm – spending time with patients who need to talk or play a game etc.
3pm – afternoon tea round
3.30 – 5pm – spending time with patients
5 – 5.30 – clear up and sort out the kitchen
6pm – sign out
Once a month I will volunteer with my family friend who has a dog who is a therapy dog. I will walk around my ward with her and the dog and spend time with patients who need a bit of extra comfort from a furry friend.
*I am currently training my own dog Milo so he can qualify to be a therapy dog and come and volunteer with me in the future.
<– This is Milo!
What do I do that makes me different to other volunteers?
I always come to my volunteering shift which a bag of supplies. This includes art supplies (paper, whiteboard, pencils, colours, colouring books), crossword and wordsearch books and games like dominoes and connect 4. I bring this with me in case I notice a patient displaying an interest in art of games and then I’ll spend some of my shift doing that with them. I am able to take the pressure off the rest of the staff on the ward by spending time with patients who need the extra support.
A bit about some patients that I’ve worked/spent time with:
For confidentiality reasons I’ve called the patients A, B, C…etc.
Patient A – I spent quite a bit of time with this patient who decided to give me this abstract self-portrait that she did while she’s been in hospital as a thank you (portrait to the right).
She said “there should be more young people in the world who are willing to give up their time to help people like me”
Patient B – I spent weeks with patient B who I admired for his extremely positive outlook. He told me that he had done a fine art degree when he was younger and said he wanted to draw me. His condition didn’t allow him to finish it but I think it’s amazing (portrait to the left). He said that he enjoyed spending time with me and telling me his cheesy jokes.
Patient C – patient C is a young patient with brain cancer, he told me how he was struggling with not being about to concentrate and use his hands. So, I offered to give him some colouring pages. We also spent quite a lot of time playing connect 4 and dominoes which he enjoyed.
Patient D – I realised that patient D liked to chat at the beginning of my shift and I spent a lot of time sat in her room talking about her life. I was also in the room when she got some very bad news but she told me that I should be proud of myself for being able to comfort somebody who was receiving such bad news. Patient D told me that she appreciated my time as other members of staff on the ward wouldn’t have been able to set the time aside to sit and talk to her.
Patient E – He had spent 12 weeks in hospital so far and I noticed that he expressed an interest in sketching and doodling. He asked if I would sit so he could draw me. He wasn’t satisfied with the finished product but I thought it was amazing (portrait to the right). It put a smile on his face the whole time that he was drawing me, he told me “you made my day better”.
What have I learnt from volunteering?
- I have learnt that I’ve grown in confidence. I started off as quite shy and scared of talking to lots of different people but now I do it with confidence
- I have learnt that I can work in a stressful environment – at the beginning I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to cope with a hospital setting but now I enjoy the thrill of it.
- I have learnt how to deal with lots of different people with a variety of needs.
Would I recommend it to other young people?
I would 100% recommend volunteering to other young people. I feel like I have become a better person by doing it and you get so my joy and fulfilment from helping others. Also, if you are a young person interested in a role in healthcare this is a great way to learn and get experience in that area.
British Red Cross EmpowHER 