I was raised in a supportive family unit keen on nurturing and encouraging talents and hobbies. My parents instilled me a love for learning, in order to advocate for individual development at a young age. As a result, I volunteered at the local hospital, as it provides opportunities to help others, which is crucial in attaining personal and career growth. More so, I love people, which encouraged me to learn functions of the human body in order to equip me with skills to help people lead healthy lives. The opportunity improved my humanistic values, vital in attending persons suffering from various illnesses, hindering them to lead active and productive lives. I have been volunteering at the local hospital’s emergency department for the last three years. Generally I work with people suffering from traumas and accidents.
My First Day as a Volunteer
The first patient I attended to was a victim of a car accident. She was a young female driver who had been driving drugged after a party at her cousin’s house. She had multiple lacerations on her face, arms, and legs, including a piece of glass penetrating her left shoulder. She was bleeding from multiple cuts, therefore, the resident doctor requested for a blood test to determine her blood group in case of possible haematherapy. The patient was conscious, as medical staff tried to administer first aid. She was crying and trying to communicate to the nurse about something, but she was incoherent. The doctor ensured she had antibiotics injections to prevent infections, and took painkillers to stop the pain from the wounds. The piece of glass on her left shoulder, however, could not be removed for the risk of blood loss was too high. As a result, I had to escort the patient to the X-ray room to determine if the piece of glass damaged major blood veins. I had to ensure the X-ray results were clear and correct, as any mistake in removing the piece of glass could lead to fatal damages.
After the X-ray, I escorted the patient to her ward. Since she was conscious, I decided to ask her a couple of simple questions to determine if she was aware of her situation. Although it was evident that she realized she was in the hospital, she could not explain what happened. I, therefore, commented that she had a car accident, which led her to shed tears of pain asking if there had been any victims. I affirmed the patient that there were no victims, since she had hit a post causing the car to roll into a nearby bush. She seemed relieved that she had neither injured nor killed a fellow driver or pedestrian. I, however, had to ask her a few more questions to determine if she was aware that driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs was careless and unethical. She claimed that she had been celebrating her birthday party with friends and cousins. She, however, had a disagreement with one of her friends which lead to a fight. She explained that she witnessed her other friends joining the fight. Her cousins tried to intervene, but they were eventually subdued.
She asserted that all attendees had been drinking alcohol. She was, however, unaware that one of the friends was selling cocaine prompting her to confront the suspect. The suspect, however, became violent. More so, the other drugged attendees seemed angry after the suspect was requested to leave. The suspect started to hurl insults, punch, and beat the patient. Her friends did not intervene choosing to hit her, though cousins were attempting to rescue her. She explained that she was locked in a room and forced to do drugs, brought to the party without her permission. Consequently, she was thrown out of the apartment, and told to go home. She claimed that the alcohol and cocaine adversely affected her thinking capacity. Thus, she opted to drive home, rather than sit in the car and wait to sober up, and that is how she was involved in the car accident.
After her explanation, I decided to report the new information to the doctor. I believed the new information would make the doctor ask for further medical check-ups determining if she had internal injuries mainly due to the beating and hitting. The doctor explained that some drug addicts involved in road accidents often give the medical staff fake evidence to avoid being reported to the authority. He also stated that some narcomaniacs, delusional from extensive drug abuse without the desire to ask for help from rehabilitation, can lie about the situations that led them to be hospitalized. This, however, did not hinder the doctor to emphasize that the patient had to be examined further to rule out head injuries and internal bleeding.
He, however, explained that I should be cautious with patients suffering from drug related illnesses, injuries, and traumas. I decided to go back to the patient’s ward and encourage her to tell the truth. She seemed to be concerned about the fact that she might have injured, or killed someone else during the accident. I explained her that if she admitted her drug problem, the medical staff would provide her with the best quality care she deserves. I believed this would encourage her to be honest and truthful. More so, nursing requires a high degree of personal interactions with patients to show care, compassion, and provide comfort when they feel vulnerable. The patient, however, emphasized that she had taken drugs against her will. She also requested me to ensure she is not taken to the rehab. This, however, did not deter me from finding the truth, as her story did not seem right. I kept a positive attitude, since drug addiction hinders victims to live at full capacity as the drugs interfere with human body functions diminishing victims’ qualities of lives.
On the third day, the patient confirmed she had lied and that she had been a drug addict for three years. I promised to help her recuperate, and fight the disease. For example, I assisted her to enroll in a rehab. I also visited her on day-to-day basis after work until she completed the sixty days’ course. She has been sober without relapsing, back in school, and working part-time. This experience has been memorable, as it impacted my personal career by encouraging me to go beyond my limits and fears to help patients. Ultimately, it enhanced my personal and professional life.