Volunteering: Getting started

Yesterday I had part two of my final induction as a ward helper. We learnt how to clean the bedside tables according to hygiene rules, as well as some more information about how to behave on the wards.
Although only my second week I feel like I'm already reaping the rewards. One patient I spoke to told me how lonely being in hospital can be if you don't get many visitors, and how they valued even 5 minutes talking to volunteers. As we finished our duties early, me and another volunteer returned to their room at the end of the shift, to talk with them for a bit longer. To know you can improve someone's day just by chatting , it's so easy to do.
Another patient told me how motivated they were to get better so they could get home. They needed to co-operate with the physiotherapists in order to do this. We talked about how sometimes people dislike physios because their job is to push them and make them move when sometimes all they want is to lie in bed. This taught me that sometimes I will need to be persuasive, and possibly strict.
As well as meeting new people as in patients and nurses etc, I've already made new friends my own age. There are currently 3 other teenage volunteers who I work alongside. As well as it being comforting to have other people in my position, I think it's also beneficial as we all discuss where we got work experience or little tips and tricks.


I think my goal for next week would be to be as independent as possible, I won't have my supervisor watching and have been taught everything I need to know now, so shouldn't really need much help.

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