Personal Narrative: Regional Medical Center's Emergency Room

As three men roll out of the front seat of the EMT with sirens blaring, I know this one is a code red emergency, or in other words, life threatening. My protocol tells me to stand with the rest of the nurses as the men and women wheel in a pulley to the front entrance, but my experience tells me to take any precious seconds before they arrive to clean out an empty room as fast as possible. I do. The sounds of labored breathing and Velcro straps from the restraints ring in my ears as the man is settled into the bed. The sheets that I took little time in arranging are now stained with crimson blood and the backs of nurses and physicians now block my sight. With the hallway cleared, I offer the old man in room 17 a coffee, just to offer a little

I began volunteering three months ago, but my time there has been memorable and captivating. I love what I do because I love to help those in need, especially those who are unable to care for themselves. Every time I walk through the ER, I feel as though I make a difference in these people’s lives. It gives me a sense of community and purpose, even if my purpose is to provide hot coffee, blankets, and comforting words to our patients. But what I learned is that a small cup of coffee and a smile is a gesture that goes a long

The ER is most understandably, the last place any person wants to be. So it makes out job that much more difficult to give them any sort of comfort when they arrive. But when we do achieve in giving them assurance and comfort, such as in the case of Mrs. Ajelo, then it makes our volunteer experience that more worthwhile. It’s a personal victory for me when I do well by a person. We do our best so that the community comes out of the ER happier than when they arrive. I believe our impact goes unnoticed physically, because most of our efforts are making sure our patients are emotionally healed as well as physically. As volunteers, our duties are to assure our patients are well and comfortable even in the middle of hardship and chaos. It has made a better all around person and it has taught me several valuable lessons- it’s the small gestures that go a long way. A smile, cup of coffee, or even a small stuffed