Goal: increase confidence
I was definitely able to increase confidence through my time at Fairview. One patient, a 16-year-old girl, was bed-ridden and had been for two weeks. She had requested a visitor, but when I got to her room, she didn't seem to want me there. After chatting with her for a few minutes, I realized the problem: simply, she is shy. I just started speaking freely about my day and the crush I had on my coworker. Soon, she was telling me about her prom dress and the boy who asked her out who she didn't know if she liked but her friend said she should go out with him because he had cute eyes. You know, typical 16-year-old girl stuff. It was so fun. And I felt like my confidence in opening myself up gave her the courage to do so too.
Goal: show initiative
I realized that at the hospital, nobody has time to hold your hand. You are, after all, only a volunteer. If you have a question or concern, you need to find the appropriate person to express you concern to. You have to. You can't be wishy-washy about it. You have to be direct and purposeful. I think this is an important skill to keep throughout my life, especially as a physician. You need to go out and do things yourself. Ask questions you don't want to ask. Go after the tough things that no one else wants to go after.
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