Serving as a hospice volunteer this academic year has been a valuable experience in my development as a future healthcare provider. My experience in the program was atypical in many respects, but it raised my awareness of palliative care in ways that I could not have imagined. My experience was partly atypical because I began … Continue reading “Seeing the Other Side of Palliative Care”
Program Year Ending: 2020
Program Year ending 2020
The Meaning of Being a Hospice Volunteer
Being a hospice volunteer has been a special experience. I’ve learned about a different aspect of healthcare and myself and gained new tools that I can use in my future career through this experience. I’ve also learned the value of conversation and how truly listening can give you insight into a person’s life. I’ve become … Continue reading “The Meaning of Being a Hospice Volunteer”
Death: An Immovable Part of Life
Technique, science mastery, and the ability to analyze situations critically are all universal skills taught to pre-medical students in their undergraduate years. However, soft skills like bedside manner, an ability to relate to a patient, and an aptitude for mentally meeting a patient where they are all go beyond the textbook. When asked about hospice, … Continue reading “Death: An Immovable Part of Life”
Finding the Light in the Dark
When I first joined the hospice program, I entered with hesitation. Explaining to people the kind of volunteer work I was going to be involved in always had the same response: “Isn’t that depressing? Why would you want to do that?” I was worried about how the program would affect me and if I could … Continue reading “Finding the Light in the Dark”
New Perspectives
Hospice volunteering will, without a doubt, help shape me into the physician I wish to become one day. I have now experienced both sides of healthcare: the medical aspect which aims to treat a patient for their disease, and the comfort aspect which aims to provide happiness towards the end of one’s life. I will … Continue reading “New Perspectives”
The Importance of Presence
On the introductory day of the volunteer program, our leaders had us go around in a circle and explain our experience with death. I immediately felt uncomfortable due to the fact that I would be soon sharing extremely emotional stories with peers whom I just met. Up to this point of my life, I have … Continue reading “The Importance of Presence”
Hard work: Building a Relationship with a Patient and a Relationship with Death
Throughout my volunteer experience, the relationship that I have created with my patient, who I will call Richard, has given me a new perspective on what it means to have a life and live one. Throughout this year, our relationship has grown. I’ve seen his guard come down, met his family members, laughed with him, … Continue reading “Hard work: Building a Relationship with a Patient and a Relationship with Death”
Ever-Changing Visits with Helen
For the past six months, I have been visiting Helen. I’ve gotten to know a few things about her life, but the woman herself has changed drastically in the time I have known her. Helen has late-stage dementia and doesn’t remember most of the things I know about her. For our first few visits, we … Continue reading “Ever-Changing Visits with Helen”
In the Common Room
There is a difference between healthspan and lifespan, and at some point, one has to ask oneself when to stop trying new treatments if it comes at the cost of their overall happiness and well-being. What does it mean to aspire to live as long as possible if such days, weeks, months, or years are … Continue reading “In the Common Room”
The Tea That Never Was
My volunteer partner and I were finishing up our check-ins for our visit and were on our way to visit our last patient for that day, Martha. Visits with Martha in the past had been genial but otherwise largely uneventful. She loved to discuss relationships, both ours and hers. Alert, responsive, hilarious, and always appreciative … Continue reading “The Tea That Never Was”