Community Service Refection

Although my main passion is architecture, I have always had another

inclination to help people
and have thought about a career in the medical feld. In order to explore this feld
urther, I chose to
step out o my comort !one and volunteer at a hospital. "ltimately, my experience
volunteering at the
hospital has confrmed or me that my passion lies with architecture# however, I was
able to gain a
greater appreciation or what medical proessionals encounter on a daily basis and
had the opportunity
to ma$e connections with proessionals that will help me in my uture pursuits.
In order to explore a career in the medical feld, I spo$e to my teacher to
in%uire about
community resources and volunteer opportunities. She recommended that I register
or a volunteer
orientation at Scripps &emorial 'ospital near my house in (a )olla. Ater applying or
the orientation, I
was contacted by hospital sta* to register or a two day training. Alter training, I
had the opportunity to
select the volunteer experience in which I was must interested in participating. +he
choices ranged rom
ma$ing prescription runs ur nurses, visiting with elderly patients, assisting visitors
with hospital
directions, and wor$ing in the ,perating Room I elt that i I was going to really get a
hands on
experience o what it was li$e to be a physician at the hospital, I would have to
volunteer in the
,perating Room I was really luc$y because they only had one position let and I
signed up
immediately.
+he frst day I wal$ed into the ,R was the most cra!y, antastic, wonderul
day. It was such a
small area, there were only -. rooms and yet I got lost or the frst two days I
volunteered. I met so
many new and $ind people. +he best part was that I got to be in the room watching
surgeries. I had the
opportunity to watch heart, eye, bone, brain, and general surgeries. +he opportunity
to watch surgeries
gave me a greater understanding o the s$ill involved in becoming a surgeon. I eel
that had I
volunteered elsewhere in the hospital, I would not have had the opportunity to
really see what it was
li$e to wor$ with patients.
,verall, my experience in the ,R gave n a greater perspective o what it is
li$e to wor$ in the
medical feld. I had the opportunity to net proessionals who could give me a hands/
on view on what
this career is all about. +hrough this experience, I was able to confrm that
architecture is where my
passion lies and I can pursue this career with greater confdence.