Haifeng Zhang
There have been many community service events and organizations that I have been a part of in my high school career, and having to choose a favorite out of all of them is a tough task. I had to ask myself, "What qualities stood out most to me? Was it the enjoyment I got out of it? The sense of responsibility and community when working there? Or was it the friendships and knowledge that I gained while there?" Looking back, there has only been one community service I partook in that achieved all three for me: volunteering at Missouri Baptist Medical Center.
I first started looking for volunteer jobs at hospitals during my junior year after I solidified my plan to study pre-med in college. Since my little brother was born at Missouri Baptist Medical Center (Mo-Bap), I figured that volunteering there would be an enlightening experience. After an application period and interview, I was assigned to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). My main jobs were to collect dirty linens in patient rooms and assist the nurses there in any way possible. However, there was simply not enough work to keep me busy. I was originally scheduled to be at the hospital for three to four hours a day (Fridays right after school), but I would finish all of my work in less than an hour. I grew increasingly frustrated with each week that went by, so after a few weeks I was granted a transfer to the Emergency Department (ED), where I finally found the experience that I was looking for.
My main responsibilities were to keep an eye on supply levels and to assist nurses and patients in any way. There was always work to do and patients to talk to; I once found myself chatting with an elderly lady about our lives for almost half an hour. I observed nurses checking up on patients and would help them to continue to care for the patient throughout their stay. After a while, I would literally run out of school as soon as the final bell sounded on Fridays in order to get to Mo-Bap as soon as possible. There was an endless amount of activity waiting for me every week.
Unfortunately, I had to stop volunteering when school started because of schedule conflicts with marching band. However, my experiences at Mo-Bap had a profound impact on me. For one, I got to experience hospital work in person. I have a better understanding and feel for how hospitals operate and its environment. Secondly, I got to meet and befriend other volunteers at Mo-Bap that I still keep in contact with today. Lastly and most importantly, I felt like I truly made a difference in at least one person’s life, and that’s all I could ever ask for in service. |
