I've decided to volunteer what little free time I have to Shands, the major hospital here in Gainesville. I am going to be working in two areas - pediatrics and palliative care. I've always wanted to work in pediatrics somehow, and for the past several years I've been trying to find a way to get into the PR department of a pediatric hospital, but there aren't any openings in this already limited field. So I figured I'd volunteer my time and at least get to experience it without it being a "job." I'll start on the pediatric unit but I hope to move into being a pediatric cuddler. Cuddlers give parents a break by holding, rocking, reading to and playing with newborns and infants in the NICU. I love babies, but don't want my own any time soon, and babysitting opportunities are few and far between with my schedule, so this seems perfect for me.
Shands has a new program called "No One Dies Alone." A few others hospitals around the country have it, and it's basically what the company I already work for, Haven Hospice, does, but on a volunteer basis. Patients who are end-stage and receiving palliative care within the hospital, but don't have any family or friends with them, are eligible for the program. A volunteer basically sits with them and does anything from talking or reading to them, holding their hand, or writing any of their final thoughts. These patients are typically DNR. I'm not religious, and the program doesn't require me to be. In fact, it is preferred that volunteers check their own beliefs and opinions at the door and allow the patient to initiate any religious behavior. I figured since I already intern for hospice and want a job with them, this would be a great way to expose myself to our clientele's needs without it becoming a conflict of interest.
I start next Tuesday from 8-11am on the pediatric floor. A few weeks later is the orientation for No One Dies Alone, but it's from 9am-3pm on a Friday, so I don't know if my schedule will allow me to attend, but it's definitely something I'm trying to fit in. Either way, I can't wait to start next week!
