Jacob Heath (Carleton College, class of 2019) volunteers in Same Day Surgery to complement his pre-med education. We asked about his experience. Best part? “Working with the nurses. They’ve all been so welcoming.”
Why volunteer at Northfield Hospital + Clinics?
“I wanted to see more of a hospital setting. I got really lucky when I started volunteering that I actually got to be in Same Day Surgery: I get to see all the nurses working, and some surgeons. It’s been really fun to watch. I interact with the nurses a lot, and it’s been great getting to know all of them. My volunteer work is mostly in the waiting area, and bringing patients back to their room, where they wait before and after surgery.”
What’s been good about your volunteering experience here?
“Definitely working with the nurses. They’ve all been so welcoming. It’s fun to see their interactions with each other and with patients. As I’m doing my work, I can hear and watch those conversations between nurses and patients, and doctors and patients. That’s the biggest thing I’ll take from this experience: Seeing the patient interactions of nurses and doctors. It’s a very positive environment.”
What’s been challenging about your volunteering experience here?
“Well, 7:00 am is kind of early sometimes, but I’ve gotten used to it.”
What will you take from your volunteer experience to serve you in life?
“It’s valuable to see different perspectives of a doctor or nurse explaining something to a patient – the variety of those social interactions. And seeing the teamwork aspect of it all; it’s a big process that’s not just one person handling a patient, there are four or five people at once interacting with this patient before they even go into surgery. Many people are part of the patient experience.”
What do you wish other people knew about NH+C?
“It’s probably considered a more rural hospital, and people may think, ‘They don’t do much,’ – but actually, a lot happens here. There are a lot of surgeries here at Northfield Hospital. I got to shadow in the Emergency Department too, and that was a neat perspective. It’s different not having anything scheduled like you do in Surgery, just waiting for what comes. That was really exciting at times; there were highs and lulls. It was a good opportunity to observe, and ask questions. You can see and experience everything you want volunteering here.”
Want to volunteer at Northfield Hospital too? Check it out: https://www.northfieldhospital.org/volunteer-opportunities