My name is Lindsey, I am sixteen years old and I am a volunteer. It's like an AA meeting, right? As soon as you say those four little words, you’re marked for good as a “goody two shoes” “Brown noser” or a “suck up”. But really, anyone can volunteer and make this world a better place. Even felons volunteer to volunteer (never mind that they’re just reducing their sentence). One of the places I choose to volunteer is Union Hospital. At Union Hospital, I push the hospitality cart. This allows me to meet many interesting people and brighten people’s days. You may say, “Well Lindsey, that is great. But what do you get out of it?” I would answer you by saying that I get more than I give.

When I get the chance to make someone happy, and know that I was responsible for it, it makes me happier! And whenever I get the opportunity to make someone feel better and I’m having a bad day too, it makes my day a whole lot better as well. Not to mention the fact that as a volunteer in a hospital, I get to learn things that I hope will help me in my career. I learn things like knowing the signs of a patient who is severely ill. I get to learn about procedures, hospital speak and symbols such as One of the most important skills i have learned is how to interact with people who are unpleasant because they are in pain.

I sat down with Rachel, a Junior who volunteers with me. This is a copy of our interview.
How important are the volunteers to the functionality of the hospital?
 

“I think they are very important. Without us, who would take the patients snacks, do dismissals and admissions answer phones and give people directions? I think they could do it without us but it wouldn’t go as smooth.”
What is the most popular area to volunteer and why?

“I feel like it is the front desk. A lot of people do this for community service or just to get the feel of a hospital without coming into contact with the patients that often. Plus, while you’re here, you can study and get to know the other volunteers.”

  What age group most commonly volunteers here? What gender?

“I see a lot of older ladies in their mid sixties early seventies. There are barely any high schoolers and even less guys anywhere on the age spectrum.”

With the exception of the hospital what depts. are available to work in?

“From what I have seen, you can work in the Healthplex or the Office and once you're old enough, the out patient surgery center.”

What are the benefits of volunteering?

“Well, it makes me feel really good when I get to help people.Plus, my people skills weren’t great when I started and now I’m a lot better at talking to people I don’t know very well, becoming friends with people from all different backgrounds and being able to empathize with struggles anywhere from the flu to not being able to pay your bills. Lastly, and I know, I know, it sounds dumb. But the food is AWESOME! And free, so you know”

In the next ten years where do you see this program?

“To be completely honest I don’t think it will grow. It will probably just be the same elderly women give or take a few. All of us high school kids will have our own lives by then, and as self absorbed as kids are now, I cannot see our generation or the next helping any more than we do.”

     You might ask me, alright Lindsey what does it look like to be along on one of your shifts? Well, I start at 3:30 after school on Tuesdays. I put on my green polo and khaki pants, and I sign in at the front desk. I say hello to Patty, Carole and Michelle, the older women who volunteer the same shift I do, and then I wait for my friend Rachel. Once she gets there, we go to Kathy’s office and get the hospitality cart. We start on the third floor with maternity and there usually aren’t very many patients. Often on that floor we hand out graham crackers and candy because the patients are not on dietary restriction. Then we go to the long term rehabilitation section. These are usually older people who have had strokes or hip/knee replacements. Often we meet someone interesting who wants to talk so we sit for a while, hand out some magazines, crosswords and occasionally a bible, and then move on. 

     We now push the cart up the ramp to the surgical floor. These are people who have had surgery ranging from knee replacements to ACL surgery.  Then we go to the second floor and hit medical. These are people who have things like the flu, appendicitis, bronchitis, etc. Usually they do not take many things off the cart because they are only there for a night or two.If there is a yellow bag on the door, that means that the person is contagious and volunteers are not allowed inside. On this floor we hand out many magazines because people can be here for a long time and get bored. Next, we go down the hall through step-down, to ICU. In this unit, our cart is for visitors only because the patients are in no state to benefit from it.These patients are in a critical state. Now we go over to PEDs or Pediatrics. Kids ages infant to teenager come through here for anything from refusing to eat, broken arms and legs or the flu. Often in this ward, there are Spanish people not fluent in English and it makes it difficult to help them. We hand out many coloring books and stuffed animals here.

     Lastly we walk around the first floor and hand out magazines to people in waiting rooms. By this time it is almost five o’clock. and we park our cart, lock the door and go get dinner together. My shift ends at 5:30 and we go home. Well, now I bet that you are wondering how to become a volunteer! You must be at least fourteen years old and have completed the eighth grade. You will have an interview with Kathy Willoughby, Volunteer Services Director, and decide what you would like to do. A mandatory drug test will be administered and two TB tests. Then, you will be trained by walking with someone who has done the job you requested for some time. That’s it! You’re officially a volunteer!

     So, being a Candy Striper, or Hospital Volunteer is really rewarding. As a candy striper, you get so much more than you give, for such a small bit of your time per week. The lessons you learn in the hospital are endless especially if you are entering the medical field. Another benefit of being a volunteer is that there are scholarships for doing it. You make friendships with people who have the same mindset as you, and most importantly get to make a difference in this world.