Outside the Van Elslander Neuroscience Center
I just started my summer volunteer shifts at Providence Park Hospital. I work a few times at week at the Van Elslander Neuroscience Center and ICU and in the Assarian Cancer Center. The experience has been both informative and eye-opening. Everyday, I help restock materials and check equipment in patients rooms on the neuroscience level of the hospital. I get to interact with patients frequently, although many of the patients are in a physical condition where communication is difficult or impossible. Although it is upsetting to see a patient’s progress suddenly decline between my visits, I love having the opportunity to hear people’s stories and know that I am helping make their experience at the hospital a little better.
So far, the most memorable experience I had was while talking to a nurse on the hall. I often interacted with the nurses to make sure that equipment was stocked correctly and to help them with anything they needed. The head nurse asked me one day, “Why did you decide to work on the neuroscience hall? You know this is the most depressing hall in the entire hospital right?” At first, I was taken back. He was referencing the fact that many patients suffering from neurological disorders or damage to the nervous system can have sudden declines in their ability to function independently or can be difficult to interact with.The nurse followed up by explaining that many of the volunteers, especially student volunteers, want to work on the orthopedic or cardiac floors so that they can converse with patients more frequently. He gave me a smile and expressed his appreciation for my decision to work with them on the neuroscience floor. The neuroscience floor of the hospital differs immensely from the other levels, but I think that working with individuals suffering from neurological disorders and damage is inspiring. There is so much progress to be made in the area of neurology and understanding the brain and spinal cord. Working on this hall showed me that neuroscience is definitely my passion!
My experience in the Assarian Cancer center has been slightly different. I have not had much patient exposure or spent much time in a medical environment. Instead, I have had the opportunity to work with other volunteers to make blankets, cards, and plan events for individuals receiving regular chemotherapy treatment. All of the men and women I worked with in the cancer center reminded me that medicine is so much more than just science – its about people!