In order to complete the service learning hours for the Health 101 course, I attended a Women’s Conference put on by the Catholic Diocese of Richmond with the affiliation of the Red Cross and many other organizations. I was able to volunteer at this organization on November 3rd, for around eight hours at the Richmond Convention Center in Richmond, Virginia. A group of more than fifteen volunteers aided in running the conference from seven o’clock in the morning to four o’clock in the afternoon. During these hours, I was able to help take blood pressure, pass out food and coffee to the participants, and I was also able to observe nurses from a local hospital as they checked up on the women who were in need. Before the conference started, I was also able to help set up the rooms involved in the conference as well as the booths lined up outside of the main rooms. This included setting up projectors, laying out the necessities for the participants, and welcoming the guests as they walked in from the parking garage.
The Catholic Diocese of Richmond, which is a religious organization, ultimately has the mission help as many people as they can to become better in their faith and the church. However in this environment, they were more focused on helping women who were in need of advice, health care, and just simply a break from their everyday lives. The purpose of this organization is to aid in other people’s lives. Meaning they are constantly growing and bringing in other organizations, like the Red Cross, to spread their mission and help the people in their community. The goal of the Catholic Diocese of Richmond is to raise awareness of people in need but also offer a space in different Virginia cities where people can openly express themselves and their faith. Along with this, the organization also aids in various events that help the homeless. Events like Caritas provide shelter for those from the harsh cold weather during the month of December. The Diocese works along organizations like Homeward and Housing Families First to give the people the best care they can. This includes medical check ups and supplies donated by the public given to those staying where Caritas is located. In an attempt to care for all, the community needs that the Catholic Diocese of Richmond address is the lack of healthcare for those who are in need as well as the lack of resources given to those who fall under that same category.
After attending this conference, I have found that I am extremely thankful for all that I have. I have a family that provides for me, I am able to receive regular doctor wellness checks without struggling to find insurance to cover the expenses, and I can receive my education without the added stress of needing to provide for anyone else. When observing the nurses, I was able to see the way the two interacted with their patients and I realized there is so much more to nursing than just the education. To become a nurse I need to be able to work with any person no matter their age, opinion, or gender; I also need to be able to assist those who are I am not familiar with. The conference I attended had a seperate section for Hispanic women and I realized that it would be extremely beneficial to be educated in other languages.
Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to shadow a Medical Transport Supervisor at my local hospital. During that week, I was able to watch the in and outs of a hospital and observe the inner workings of how the medical transporter worked with the nurses in their shifts. Along with this, I was also able to sit down with different patients in various departments around the hospital. This gave me the opportunity to see how well I worked with people in the hospital, patients and employees all the same. Taking into account the service learning experience and my shadowing experience, I would say my anticipation to begin this career has only been lifted. Being able to witness nurses do what I’ve always wanted to do is something that will always push me to succeed; however it has made me nervous for the future. Looking at the nurses working within the Red Cross and the Women’s Conference, I noticed the amount of patience it takes to become a caretaker. I’ve always seen myself as an easy going person, but the calmness around the nurse I observed during the high stress situations they endured; that is definitely something I will need to work on if I decide to pursue this career.
Attending this Women’s Conference aided in much more than I ever imagined it would. Originally, I only thought it was going to consist of speakers talking about different faith based topics and helping to serve different things to the attendees; this was not the case. I was able to experience so much more, and those experiences have helped me to really think of what I want my career to be. This conference was about helping people, listening to people, and experiencing what they experience in their daily lives. All of these things apply to my intended degree in Nursing, but can also be applied to Recreational Therapy. As I am thinking about what my parallel major will be, Recreational Therapy would be the top of my list. I would pursue this as my parallel major because it requires the same attitude and skill set that nursing requires. The aspect of working with people and helping an individual is exactly why I wanted to enter the health field in the first place. In conclusion, this service learning experience opened my eyes to a new world of opportunities. It helped me to better know myself and my limits; I would most definitely volunteer at this conference next year.