Reflective Portfolio about Volunteering in Community - Essay Example

Reflective Portfolio about Volunteering In Community (Student Name) (Course No.) (Lecturer) (University) (Date) Reflective Portfolio about Volunteering In Community Overview of the Organization and the Hospital I have had the opportunity of volunteering my services in Alwakra Hospital in Qatar. Sincerely, the lessons learnt from the institution were immense. Within the hospital, the management attached me as the assistant executive direction that deals with sport services. With the ever-increasing competition in the job search, the employers are seeking individuals with experiences and ability to ensure improvement in the quality of services provided (Hamad Medical Corporation, n.d.). Such notion compelled me towards giving the hospital my best for achievement of organizational objectives. However, the improved performance and acquisition of the experience that I desired would not have been possible without unconditional support from my supervisor, Ali Hassan Rashad. Although I had never volunteered my services, I knew time had come to give back the community. Organizational Aims and Achievement The hospital is the major provider of both secondary and secondary healthcare in Qatar. Besides, it is one of the leading hospitals in the Middle East. Therefore, provision of quality healthcare and ensuring the achievement of the needs of the patients are the major objectives guiding the provision of services. As a volunteer within the hospital, I had to adhere to the set guidelines, practices, and codes of conduct to ensure the achievement of organizational results. For years, the hospital has been committed to achieving its objectives through delivering its services in safe, most effective and compassionate manner to the clients. Within the office of the executive director, I offered sport services to the patients in need of the physical fitness. Although there were several challenges like dealing with patients from diverse cultural backgrounds, belief systems, and races, the commitment and organizational objectives compelled me to focus on the positive side of voluntarism. To meet the needs of the increasing population and patients seeking medical attention from the hospital, the hospital announced ambitious plans of expanding its capacity across its network especially the sports services. It is quite clear the magnitude of the responsibilities I had to carry out considering the fact that my department was at centre of such expansions. While volunteering, I had an opportunity of interacting with people from diverse backgrounds effectively and efficiently which contributed to the number of patients seeking healthcare services from the hospital. Integration of my academic performance and acquired lessons from volunteering, I focused on developing the department through carrying a series of research that majorly focused on methods of improving the quality of sports services within the organization. Through collaboration with other departments, it was easy to align the departmental activities with the aims and visions of the hospital. The major aim of volunteering services is to give back to the community, however, to some extent, volunteer focus on networking, gaining experience, and building strong professional base (McCurley, Lynch, & Jackson, 2012, 123). Volunteering my services at the sports departments would be helpful in the future to assist my local community handle health issues associated with poor exercising. Sporting activities are important in ensuring good health. From Ali Hassan Rashad, I learnt that offering sporting activities and pieces of advice to patients at community level might assist in reducing some of the problems experienced within the hospital congestions due to limited resources available. Volunteering and Contribution to the Community People at community levels suffer several challenges, which are avoidable especially through education and empowerment. Through volunteering, one is able to acquire expertise and skills that are significant in solving some of the societal problems. Globally, people suffer from failing to visit health institutions due to projection of cost of healthcare services, naivety, and ignorance. Most people use many resources visiting health institutions to seek medical assistance and advice from the sport therapists. In some cases, such activities are always costly for most people to afford. As a result, their conditions worsen leading to death or reduced efficiency. However, with the knowledge and information I acquired from the hospital on sporting activities, it becomes easy to offer assistance and save on communal inadequate resources. Besides the development of professional experience, offering voluntary services might assist in bringing the community members together irrespective of their backgrounds as they strive to a common goal, having a healthy community (Zimmer, 2013). While volunteering at the hospital, I acquired immense knowledge and the ability to network with others efficiently and effectively while at the same time upholding professionalism. Since I have the expertise and experience within me, I could reciprocate such skills and build a camaraderie and teamwork among the members of the community. Inadequate level of exposure at community level is the major challenge prohibiting those with poor health status from embracing sporting activities while their health continues to deteriorate. Although it might not be easy considering the cultural differences and low level of education among some community members, the experience acquired will assist in breaking down the benefits of attending sporting health facilities while having weak body and pain. Through the knowledge I acquired from the hospital, it becomes easy to educate the members of the community on the modern methods of treating the patients. Sport therapies are usually costly and time consuming. Nonetheless, with the research I carried out on methods of developing and improving the quality of care system that require sport therapies, I can recommend proper and efficient practices to the patients to improve their health condition. Such recommendations are only to sustain and give them adequate strength for some time, as they still need to seek medical attention from qualified physician. The fact that the hospital is one of the greatest in the region, it will be easy to draw the attention of the local communities and ensure their compliance with some of the assistance that I offer. Therefore, I believe that volunteering my services at the hospital would be significant to the both the hospital and the community. Contribution of Volunteering To Employability As noted earlier, the job market is becoming competitive that the employers are seeking people with adequate experience, distinct skills, and goal oriented. However, with such stands, it becomes difficult especially for the fresh graduate to find their dream jobs. Volunteering offered me the opportunity to display my expertise, skills, and work on some of my perceived weakness such as poor communication skills and inability to manage time efficiently. Currently, I believe in my potential and ability to turn my weaknesses into strengths. Through volunteering, I witnessed growth, enrichment, and networking with the others. The days are gone when people used to view volunteering a purely altruistic. Employers are seeking talented, knowledgeable, experienced employees. Through volunteering, I learnt much on patience as an important virtue in business management. While beginning the volunteering, there were numerous challenges that I experienced which my supervisor encouraged me to always be patient in every I did. Improved communication skills were also an important outcome that I developed while within the hospital. Employers are seeking people with the ability to express themselves and thoughts effectively (Scott, 2012, 221). However, while joining the institutions, I considered poor communicational skills as one of my weaknesses. The institution gave me the opportunity to improve my skills considering the nature of department and position since I had to communicate with people from different backgrounds. Similarly, business institutions are also seeking employees with the ability to communicate effectively with the customers. Such requirements make me on the forefront on the employers’ lists considering the communication skills I acquired. Volunteering my services enabled me to improve my networking skills. In every business, the success depends on the ability of the employees to network with the others. Personally, I believe in establishing the required objectives through working together with others. Most researchers perceive that whenever like-minded individuals get together, friendships are friend, which offers them the opportunity of carrying out their responsibilities while assisting one another. After volunteering my services, I realized that it is significant to always create a positive rapport with others as a method of improving connections. Networking allows people to share ideas, learn how to work with others, and making informed decisions. These competencies are the ones the employers are seeking from the job seekers. Through acquisition of patience virtue from the hospital, realized that it is significant to ensure that as a job seeker, I should be able to learn new things, ensure competency at all levels, and self-motivated. Learning is a process; therefore, employers are seeking for people willing to embrace new challenges are learn from them to ensure the achievement of organizational objectives. Patience gave me the opportunity to learn from various challenges I was witnessing at the sports section. Besides, business entities have different norms, cultures, and organizational strategies, which the employees have to comply with. Therefore, as an employee, I realized that it is important to always be ready to learn new things. References Hamad Medical Corporation. (n.d.). Home. Retrieved from https://www.hamad.qa/EN/About- Us/Our-Organization/Pages/default.aspx McCurley, S., Lynch, R., & Jackson, R. (2012). Complete volunteer management handbook. Liverpool [England: Directory Of Social Change. Scott, G. G. (2012). How to keep your job or find new work: A guide for the unemployed, underemployed, freelancer, or entrepreneur. Bloomington, IN: Booktango. Zimmer, A. (2013, July 1). 6 Reasons Why Volunteering Is Important. Retrieved from www.theprospect.net/6-reasons-why-volunteering-is-important-and-awesome-3953 Read More