Volunteering in the Community - Essay Example

Volunteering in the Community - Reflective Essay Introduction I have always acknowledged that volunteering work is an opportunity for sharing. Those who unselfishly volunteer time, efforts, skills, and other material or non-material blessings have genuine commitment for social responsibility towards uplifting the welfare of those being served. In my capacity as a Shop Volunteer for Myton Hospice, I have learned to apply theoretical frameworks imbibed through my educational program and have aptly develop personal and professional skills to prepare me in future endeavors. A Shop Volunteer’s tasks include: (1) assisting and serving customers with the highest quality standard; (2) assisting with processing stocks or inventories of the shop, including sorting, steaming, pricing and hanging of donated items; (3) being involved with the till operation and the handling of cash; and (4) promoting public understanding of the work and the importance of raising funds through the shop. My interest in pursuing this particular type of volunteering work is to be immersed in a line of endeavor that is deemed challenging and interesting at the same time. I have been innately enthusiastic of being around patients through palliative care due to personal experiences with grandparents and other family members. As such, one of the ways that would make me more involved in seeing how these patients’ needs are being addressed would be through volunteer work at Myton Hospice. Employability Skills Developed Existing Skills From the experience as a Shop Volunteer, I have acknowledged that it enabled the development of existing and new skills. Through personal assessment of skills, I recognized that I am highly proficient in interacting with different kinds of people from diverse cultural and demographic backgrounds. These social skills enable me to assist in serving the customers of the shop with a happy disposition and a welcoming stance. I am also good at communicating with customers through exhibiting effective communication skills, specifically adept at listening and responding appropriately to diverse needs. These existing skills were further strengthened through daily interaction with clients and other stakeholders at Myton Hospice. The exposure to diverse clientele enabled me to enhance and widen cultural awareness and competencies. Likewise, it also improved customer service skills through ensuring that the needs and demands of the customers are appropriately addressed. New Skills Concurrently, the new skills which were developed included skills in inventory management, as well as accountability in handling cash. I was so privileged for being provided the chance to be trusted by the senior managers who regard the volunteer work position as requiring values of honesty and integrity. Therefore, I have proven that I could be trusted in handling cash transactions by ensuring that all purchases and disbursements of funds are accurately accounted for. In addition, all shop items, including donated items require accurate inventory. Thus, the volunteer experience assisted in developing inventory management skills, time management, as well as exemplary work ethics and discipline. I became more responsible in adhering to schedules, in planning and organizing my work, and in ensuring that deadlines are strictly adhered to. Deciding a Future Career The immersion in Myton Hospice has made me realize and confirm that I would like to pursue a career in the field of health care. The impetus that prompted me to volunteer at this organization was my genuine interest to serve clients, particularly patients, who are in need of special care and attention during their trying moments. As such, I acknowledge that although the volunteer work, per se, is not directly related to the delivery of patient care, volunteering in a health care environment enabled me to interact and observe other health care practitioners. Thus, the experienced affirmed how challenging the health care discipline is; yet, opportunities for advancement and professional growth are immense. In addition, being able to uplift the welfare of others through patient care is deemed to be most rewarding. Service Delivery of the Organization The organization, Myton Hospice, is a sanctuary for people, especially the old and terminally sick. I served in the Coventry area which is specifically located at Clifford Bridge Road, Coventry. The mission of the organization is explicitly stated as follows: “The Myton team provide high quality, specialist care to people whose condition no longer responds to curative treatment, from diagnosis to death. We aim to meet their physical, psychological, spiritual and social needs and ensure their families are supported both through and after this difficult time. We are also committed to training, supporting and encouraging other care providers to practice good palliative care.”1 The strengths of the organization include the following: (1) it has served the local community of Coventry and nearby areas for 32 years; (2) it is being led and managed by a team of highly competent and qualified individuals who have had exemplary professional experiences working in charities, public administration, health care institutions, and who exhibit specialized educational background and training in the field of palliative care; and (3) the organization welcomes feedbacks from patients and their relatives; including suggestions or complaints, with the aim of addressing areas which need improvement. From the latest discharged in-patient/carer survey report, as of February to July of 2013, it was disclosed that “patients and their carers gave the hospice an overall experience satisfaction rating of 95%.”2 Likewise, the same report also revealed that the overall outcome rating of 88% was given by patients and carers.3 On the other hand, the weaknesses noted of the organization was revealed to be in the aspects of food and dissemination of relevant information to patients and carers. The information was noted from the similar discharged in-patient/carer survey report, as of February to July of 2013, which stated that “take note improvements need to be made with regard to the quality of the food and drink provided together with ensuring that patients and their carers fully understand what is happening at all times.” 4 It could be evaluated that the possible causes of the weaknesses could be an interplay of different factors. For one, the quality of food and drink has always been the common feedback from health care institutions due to the need to prepare food that caters to the health requirements of patients. Mostly, these food preparations focus more on using healthy ingredients, more than prioritizing on taste or flavor. In addition, in terms of being regularly apprised of the current health condition of the patients, one understands that the need to address the volume of patients, in conjunction with the availability of attending physicians need to be balanced. The time to evaluate the health status of patients vary according to their medical condition and the need to consult other health care professions, as required. SMART Recommendations Given the strengths and weaknesses of the organization, it would therefore be recommended that Myton Hospice focus on the following areas of improvement: (1) the need to improve on the quality and diversity of food or menu and drinks offered to the patients; (2) to need to facilitate the provision of updated health status and condition of the patients; and (3) to train current health care practitioners in addressing the diverse needs and demands of the clientele. These areas would be effective in addressing the weaknesses of Myton Hospice and would considerably improve the satisfaction rating of the patients and carers. Conclusion From one’s volunteering work as a Shop Volunteer at Myton Hospice, I affirm that it was an illuminating and exhilarating experience that enabled me to grow personally and professionally. The most appreciated benefits included the honing of current and new employability skills, as well as the enhanced ability to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the service organization. As realized, I could develop skills in actually caring for patients through pursuing a career in the health care discipline. Another potential area which I realized I could explore is pursuing a health care management profession to enable me to assist in improving the quality of health care service, as deemed needed. Overall, the volunteer work has been ultimately challenging; yet profoundly rewarding and fulfilling. Bibliography Myton Hospice. ‘Our Vision and Mission’, mytonhospice.org, 2014, http://www.mytonhospice.org/about/vision_and_mission, (accessed 12 February 2014). Myton Hospice, ‘The Myton Hospices Discharged In-Patient/Carer Survey Report’, mytonhospice.org, 2013, http://www.mytonhospice.org/Resources/Myton%20Hospices/News/2013%20IPU%20Survey%20Report.pdf, (accessed 12 February 2014). 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