Day 05: Pretend Doctor as a Sales Girl?

Heading to Volunteer Services, right next to us is the Doctors' Lounge over looking the river.

   Today was my first day with the evil ‘candy’ cart, I’ve known since starting my volunteer job that I would be doing this and I’ve been dreading it. I always feel so awkward trying to sell people things; what if they don’t have the money, or are sleeping, or feeding, or whatever.  So I’ve been trying to avoid it, and I had been rather successful up until today. Sadly Mrs. HVS wasn’t all that busy when I walked in so she escorted me to the gift shop and got the cart for me and sent me on my way. Once up at 4-North I was actually told not to start doing rounds with the cart until 1030, a full two hours after I arrived (hallelujah).




    For the first four hours of my shift I did my usual: fridge stocking, charts, answering phones and doors, escorting patients around and general do-gooder stuff. To shake up my routine there was an actual code red, and not just an alarm; holy sea biscuits there is some action around here. Only sadly it was at the de Paul building next to us and was a water leak. Turns out that if one area has the code all floors and both buildings get it. Sad, right? I did get to guard the doors to make sure no one tried to steal a baby or two, SCORE! It didn’t actually last too long, only long enough to annoy everyone and have me running around like a chicken with my head cut off. The nurse on 4-North was kind of rude though. L&D sent me to watch 4-North’s door because there were about 3 of us watch L&D’s and they figured they’d be nice and send the volunteer to 4N to watch there. Once I briskly walk the (what seems like) 5 miles to the other end the nurse gives me a slight attitude about how it would have been nice if I would have been there all along so she wouldn’t of had to do it. I’m sure all of you in med school, or doing your pre-med stuff know that volunteering at a hospital you just do what you’re told to do, you don’t go off of the plan. Well I was told to go watch L&D’s doors, sorry 4N just be glad they sent me at all. Once that nurse gave me a bit of attitude I just turned around and went back to my tiny little area (it’s an abandoned nurse’s station) and went back to making L&D packets up, obviously 4N didn’t need me to watch their doors, sorry ladies.



    As for the cart I sold a grand total of, wait for it, wait for it, ZERO dollars worth of stuff. I’m a horrible sales person, sorry Mrs. HVS.





   I did get to see Dr. V today, I seriously love that man, he’s SO nice. My first day at the nursery he spent a few minutes talking to me, and giving me a pep talk about my pre-med years, and med school.  He’s seriously just one really nice guy, I enjoy working around him. Sadly I didn’t see Dr. C, and I haven’t in about two weeks, he’s really nice as well (and good-looking!). Although I’ve yet to meet a mean doctor in maternity, odd…





   All in all today was a decent day on maternity, but I’m still not sold on it. I’ll give it until the end of April to finally decide what I want to do, who knows maybe I’ll actually become the super volunteer that I’m trying to become and they’ll give me more stuff to do there, and I’ll like it more. All I can really do is wait and see right?





   Until next time.

Volunteer Day 03: Women's Services

The view at my 'desk'.

Today was my third day up in Women's Services (also 4 North, The Nursery, or L&D depending on where I get put that day), instead of watching the entrance/exit, and answering calls for the four hours they had me I was actually putting together charting packets. Once I got a system down it actually wasn't all that bad, and made the time go by so quickly.

I actually had two sets that I had to do, one for the nursery and another for L&D; I actually had no idea that the unit clerks actually had to put together all these packets, it's pretty time consuming when you're only doing that, I couldn't imagine doing that, answering the phone, letting people in and out, answering questions for visitors and working on minor parts of each chart-- I'd probably go nuts considering the sheer amount of space and time it actually takes up. Other than that there wasn't much I had to do, I did stock the snack fridges when I first got there, no biggie there.

I won't lie, I did check out one of the neonatal doctors most of my shift, well when he'd walk by me... Oh and I may have snuck a few glances at one of the male family medicine students that was doing rotations, super cute. Not that anyone cares about that.


Anyways, once I have my M.D./D.O. I hope I remember how hard everyone, including the volunteers, below me works, and that I need to respect them. I think that's what the one nurse I see at work all the time was telling me, and I finally get it... Although the nurse that ignored my paging to get out will not get respect, that was just rude.

But all and all, it was pretty good day at my hospital.