An interesting day at the Clinic

Today started out just like any other day of volunteering at the clinic. I did a few charts, escorted several patients, and did my fair share of playing games on my iPod in between. Then of course I escorted a patient who, shortly after I had left the room to allow the Doctor to go in, began showing signs of a heart attack. So, what was a regular day turned into sirens, stretchers, and oxygen tanks.

Other than that instance though, everything has gone smoothly at the Kitchen Clinic. We really haven't had any official events, only busy days of escorting patients and taking the load off the staff. Even without any events or parties at the Clinic to attend, I've had a good time, the staff is friendly, the job is simple, and I think our group as a whole has been a lot of help. Being in Architecture has definitely made it a bit harder, namely because of the late nights, (or should I say mornings?) and having to get up early for volunteering in the morning (9 am is early :-P). Over all, this semester has gone very well at the clinic, with only one "scary" moment today with the heart attack.

In the coming semester, I think we'll be able to beat our record this semester of 72 hours of service, if only because we'll be starting sooner. I learned a lot this semester about the medical field, far more than I would have had I not volunteered at the kitchen, including not using a red pen on patient charts. I could also say that I've grown more accustomed to working with a wide variety of people through my volunteering experiences.

As far as our Summit Park classes go, I've enjoyed the various "stress free" activities we've been able to take part in, namely the massages (tough homework to be sure :-P). The only activity I haven't especially enjoyed are the recordings we've had to listen to daily; which I've typically downloaded as podcasts. I have found Dr. Morledge's tips and writings interesting, however, as well as useful for making decisions related to health. As far as suggesting improvements, I think the online activities could use some improvement to make them more useful to the users - maybe something other than recordings. Overall I have enjoyed the pilot Stress Free Now program.

Now that nearly all but two of my Finals are out of the way, I'm looking forward to a long winter break. Being a bit of a "homebody" I don't see myself doing anything too exciting, just enjoying the time off - and maybe watching the snow fall outside.