Volunteered at: Royal Jubilee Hospital
Volunteered from: July 2013 – August 2017
Total Service Hours: 338 hours
Healthcare program: Entered Medical School in September 2017
Looking back at my first year in medical school, I am certain that my experience in the Volunteer Leadership program at RJH as a Volunteer Team Leader, (VTL) has played a crucial role in preparing me for a career as a physician.
From having to write correspondence every day, hold orientations, and train new volunteers as a VTL, I learned how to communicate in a professional manner, and also how to listen carefully to others for feedback and suggestion. Secondly, I obviously made mistakes as a VTL, and those were immensely helpful for teaching me about humility and self-reflection.
Lastly, being a VTL taught me what responsibility really looks like. Knowing what impact the image and the action of a VTL has on their fellow volunteers, I made sure that I was setting a good example for the rest of my team.
There were so much more, but these were my takeaways from my experience. I’m finding these skills to be incredibly relevant now I'm in medical school, a place where professional standard is strictly enforced and communication within small groups or with patients happens on a day-to-day basis.