Today we had a conversation with Annie Wilkinson, who has been a medical volunteer for two years. Annie works in a home nursing service and is truly committed to her profession. In this interview, we learn the secrets of her work, her views on the modern healthcare system and how she manages to maintain a positive attitude. This is a summation of the main information in an interview, organized in the form of a text.
A Day of a Volunteer
The interview begins with a question about what a medical volunteer working day consists of. Annie says that the main meta-task of a volunteer is to always be ready for the fact that their help is needed, the volunteer needs to be psychologically ready all the time. Speaking about basic tasks, a volunteer should be aware of what his strengths are, and try to apply them more in his work. Annie, for example, claims that she communicates well with patients, so she tries to use her social skills in her work.
Annie’s more specific vocations include caring for patients, handling background information, visiting patients, answering calls, and more. The tasks of a volunteer are many and according to her, you need to have multitasking skills in order to cope with everything. Work can be associated with preferences, but the volunteer should always be prepared to complete tasks that are difficult or unpleasant.
Qualities of a Volunteer
When Annie was asked what qualities a worthy medical worker should have, she wondered at first, since she asked if she herself possesses these qualities. In her opinion, a friendly and positive attitude allows you to withstand many of the turmoil that is possible at work. In particular, you need to be available, make it clear that you can always be contacted. Kindness and compassion are in the first place for a volunteer. They are no less important than the general level of medical professionalism. A volunteer needs independence and responsibility as well, as older and more experienced employees may not be around in a critical situation.
When asked how much Annie thinks her work is valuable, she answers with confidence. She understands the fundamental importance of her profession in the healthcare system. Annie argues that volunteer work is indispensable in this country, but it is also especially useful on short humanitarian missions to countries with low incomes and high medical complications (Caldron et al., 2018). Annie has experience in the field and shares some of the inner principles that helped her stay stress-free during her volunteer trip. The personality of the volunteer and his willingness to help thus prove to be even more decisive than socioeconomic constructs.
Advantages and Drawbacks of the Vocation
When asked about the benefits of her profession, Annie said that it provides countless opportunities for different practice. Volunteering allows you to develop social kills, meet new people, and generally increase your confidence as a human unit, especially with the awareness of the importance of your work. Annie’s answer to the question about the problems and difficulties that a medical volunteer may face is equally important. She says that the first-order problems of the volunteer are associated with the enormous amount of stress due to multitasking. Combined with watching other people suffer, this double psychological pressure can lead to so-called burnout, when a person no longer feels able to perform the prescribed work.
According to Annie, there are several ways to combat burnout, each of which will be all the more effective when combined with others. First of all, in order to put up with the constant physical and mental suffering observed at work, you need to be aware of your mission in the hospital. The volunteer must remember that his task is to alleviate this suffering as much as possible, to bring peace and tranquility to patients. It is also equally important to live a healthy personal life, in which there will be no place for drama and tragedy that turns an employee’s life into a constant struggle with stress.
Recent Changes in the Healthcare System
When asked what has changed in the American medical system in the past few years, Annie says that her attitude to health care was largely shaped by the modern situation. Recent years in health care have been shaped by laws on the availability of treatment for more financially vulnerable segments of the population. Due to the fact that most medicine in America is privatized, it is vital to think about insurance, the price of which increases by several percent from year to year. Of course, there are official government programs. designed to defuse pressure, but the spread in health care prices in the country is very large in the recent years. The inclusion of High-Deductible Health Plans in the insurance sphere is a useful innovation over the past five years (Chen et al., 2020). It is designed to allow a person to plan their premium based on their budget and needs.
In the context of the last year, overshadowed by the pandemic and the enormous pressure on the healthcare system, Annie’s work seems to be even more in demand. Annie says that recent years have allowed her to understand even more clearly why she is in her place, to start appreciating her work and the importance of her contribution to public life. The work of a medical volunteer is to bring medicine closer to people, and recent years have allowed Annie to rethink the importance of each human unit when it comes to health.
References
Chen, W., & Page, T. F. (2020). Impact of health plan deductibles and health insurance marketplace enrollment on health care experiences. Medical Care Research and Review 77(5), 483-497. Web.