User talk:Marcus89hines

As I saw my grandmother suffer from a rare disease that causes hallucination, I felt powerless. I knew I did not attain the skills to help her, but I felt like I should be able to do something. I never want to experience that feeling again. From that moment, I knew I wanted to be in healthcare. By allowing me to volunteer, Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital presented me with the chance to experience this exciting world of aid and service. This adventure has proven to be not only challenging, but rewarding. Volunteering was excellent for me considering that although I knew I wanted to be in healthcare, I had no idea in what area I wanted to specialize. Yet, through this experience, I was able to not only shadow various types of doctors, but I received a chance to see other aspects of the hospital as well. My first year, I was placed in Wound Care and Central Sterile Processing. At Wound Care, I worked in the office filing and making charts, setting appointments, and taking phone calls. I also worked with the doctors on certain days. However, this department was not without its challenges. Although the nurses and office staff were pleasant and assisting, the doctors themselves were not as encouraging. They did not see why a volunteer needed to be in the Wound Care vicinity and would not hesitate to reprimand me if I made the slightest of mistakes. However, I learned to deal with such instances and realized in the process that not everyone will accept me. In Central Sterile Processing, I was not allowed to participate in the sterilizing process, but I folded sterilized towels and organized supplies on carts that were going to different doctors. Through this somewhat tedious experience, I never complained to any of my superiors; rather, just as always, I smiled every morning and met my tasks with enthusiasm. The next year I left this department for Central Transportation, but continued with Wound Care. Not only were the workers courteous and helpful in CT, but I was allowed more responsibility, such as to discharge patients alone. This past summer, I volunteered in the Family Tree department of Phoebe. This division is a child day care for the parents that work at the hospital. After spending hours chasing and babysitting toddlers, I would feel exhausted. However, the smiles on the children’s faces made everything worthwhile. Now, I volunteer in the pediatrics’ Physical Therapy department of Phoebe. Here, I shadow a therapist as she stretches and contracts the muscles of different patients. Through this whole experience, I attained many rewards. The biggest being the feeling I received while helping my fellow man. While I am at Phoebe, I feel as if I am apart of a bigger plan. To see the smile on people’s faces when I volunteer is a reward in itself. This experience helped me to further settle on a career in medicine. I am committed to changing lives for the better. The workers themselves reward me with their incredible insight and talented wisdom. Mrs. Diane Owens, the director of the Student Volunteer Program, inspired me the most. Upon meeting her, I immediately felt her adamant love for every person that walks into Phoebe. She truly is a humanitarian. Her enthusiasm for the job is very contagious and is what I admire from her the most. One of the highlights of my life was receiving the star volunteer of the year award from Mrs. Owens. This accolade is a representation of her belief that I possess the same love and drive that she retains. Norman Vincent Peale stated, “The more you lose yourself in something bigger than yourself, the more energy you will have.” I lost myself in volunteering, and for the past three years Phoebe Putney Hospital has become that “bigger something” in my life. Through this experience, I have been blessed with the chance to observe life as a healthcare aid, an experience many doctors wished they had attained at my age. The knowledge I gained from this adventure will be with me for the rest of my life