Extracurricular Activities
Giving back to the community is where most of my sense of fulfillment comes from. Helping someone get to their destination, is rewarding in itself. At my church, I was able to be a youth group leader for a few years. I taught children's church and choreographed praise dances for us to perform on youth Sunday. Everything was not a smooth and easy process. When working with children, it is challenging for everyone to be on the same page and not be distracted. This was also something I honed on during my time volunteering at my local daycare. Having patience and being slow to jump to conclusions is necessary to have control and make level-headed decisions. Building relationships with children of all ages and observing how they interact with their parents, peers, and teachers will help me understand how to treat and form relationships with my future patients as a pediatrician.
One milestone from the Knights of Distinction program is Knights of the World and one experience I had to fulfill it was my time volunteering in the hospital. Hospital volunteering provided me with hands-on experience with patients and their families. One of my duties was to transport outpatients from the office to their designated location. Making sure the patient feels safe and comfortable while under my supervision as well as presenting myself as friendly and approachable are necessary for a smooth interaction. It's important to always be friendly and smile at someone because you never know what they could be going through. Hospital volunteering has shown me the importance of little things and how everyone has a part to play in making operations run smoothly.
This was further exemplified when I shadowed two doctors in their private practice office. Both doctors explained the intricacies of running their practice, building rapport, and being financially literate. Medicine is beyond the books, practicing medicine involves application, trial and error, as well as intuition. Seeing both Dr. Shiva and Dr. Judith Mathura work as a team with their assistants further motivated me to pursue medicine. They ignited my focus again and reminded me why I was on this long and challenging path to begin with. Seeing a few of the concepts and terms from my studies applied in the doctor's office made me realize that everything comes full circle and that all the "why's" and "how's" of concepts I'm still learning will explain the "what's" of practices in my future.
Church Volunteering
Starting in High School, I began teaching Sunday school for the youth at my church. I would create lessons and ask questions, similar to the ECE program that I took in high school to teach children. As the youth leader, I printed songs for us to sing as a group and choreographed praise dances. My time dedicated to youth ministry earned me the Steward Award at my church. Recently over the last two years, I began experimenting with online creative platforms to create unique and personalized flyers for my church's events. I host meetings to gather details and create the order of events as the church administrative assistant.
Me crocheting baby hats.
A few of the crochet hats.
A few of us working at the cafeteria.
Me crocheting baby hats.
PACK Events
During my time at PACK, I had the opportunity to learn a new skill, crocheting. Creating baby hats for newborns in the NICU and filling boxes with Operation Christmas Child are unique experiences I wouldn't have picked up without being an active member of this club. In addition, I helped run a 5K event from the organization of gift bags to passing out metal at the finish line. These events are not common in my culture, but being a part of the community in this way prompted my interest in early morning runs and stretches as all people from different walks of life including children were a part of the event and participating.
Hospital Volunteering
For the year that I spent at South Seminole Hospital, I've been transferred to the ED, outpatient care, and PACU. Each department offered different perspectives to healthcare that I wouldn't notice without observing firsthand. As a volunteer in the ED, I noticed how important the first desk receptionist is with regards to urgency and noticing signs of critical conditions. Also, it was difficult to see patients suffering while waiting for help. When a person would come up to me and ask when the doctor would see them or tell me that they were in a lot of pain and need help now, if made me feel like there was nothing, I could do because I wasn't qualified. All I could do was say sorry and to wait for the doctor because care is based on acuity. We as the hospital staff are there to make the patients feel a bit more at ease as they sit there uncomfortably waiting for care.
Doctor Shadowing
Shadowing both of these doctors was such a rewarding experience for me. Seeing the ins and outs of a private practice solidified my future goal of being a doctor. Dr. Juditha and Dr. Shiva gave me great pieces of wisdom that I will carry with me well into my career. Their love for patients and attention to detail make their patients feel like they are receiving quality care from doctors who listen to their concerns. I strive to have my patients say the same things about my character in the future.
My exposure to medicine continued to expand as I joined the physician shadowing program at Broward Health. The chance to see rare surgeries and cases just feet away solidifies why the path to medicine is so long and tedious, people's lives depend on you. The teamwork and dedication to the protocol that I witnessed ensured the safety of the patient each step of the way.