<p>I’ve been doing this 3 hours a week for two months now. I really hate it because it’s really boring. Most of what I do is paperwork and running errands. One of my options is talking to patients but I’m too chicken to do that. It’s also really scary to talk to doctors and befriend them. They look really busy and scary and I don’t want to get in their way. Ever since I first started the ER volunteering, I’ve never tried talking to patients or doctors. I’m just not a social person. Any tips on how to make this volunteering worthwhile so that I can talk about this nicely in an interview?</p>
<p>Is it a problem with the ER maybe? Perhaps try volunteering in another department that may be less intimidating. Unfortunately, if you don’t really like a volunteering experience, you won’t be able to talk about it convincingly in an interview.</p>
<p>It’s not a problem with the ER. Most ER’s don’t have gunshot victims coming in every 20 minutes.</p>
<p>It’s a problem with the OP. I don’t know if he was expecting to intubate patients or what but he’s not going to be able to legally do that. Furthermore, he refuses to get over his shyness. If he doesn’t talk to patients or doctors, he’s essentially a paper pusher and he’s not going to get very much out of the experience.</p>
<p>NCG hit the nail right on the head.</p>
<p>To the OP, what were you hoping to get out of the experience? I was an ER volunteer in high school and college, and I pretty quickly learned that I got what I put in. Even now, looking back on my experience, I wish I hadn’t been so timid - I think that if I had tried to talk more to the nurses and doctors, I would’ve been allowed to see more. Regardless, I did my best to interact with patients, and it was an eye-opening experience. I saw a lot of good things and some bad ones, too.</p>
<p>
Any suggestions on how to overcome shyness? 
For me it’s just a really difficult, seemingly impossible, thing to do. norcalguy, have you ever been shy and overcome it, or were you not like that in the first place and so didn’t have to deal with it?</p>
<p>Todpose - </p>
<p>I’ve worked in an ER as a volunteer for a while last year. </p>
<p>First off - look at the ER doctors. Are they not semi-outgoing and loud and seem a little arrogant even? I think most are. This can be a good and bad trait. But do not be scared by them. Act like they do. Have confidence and do not worry about sounding silly or anything of that sort. Talk to patients about what ails them or your pre-med life. The most common Q I got asked as a volunteer (from the pts) was what I was volunteering for. I said pre-med and then they asked how it was going. It’s an easy discussion. </p>
<p>The basics: Don’t be afraid. Doctors have mighty attitudes. Do not be shy. You will not get in their way unless you are physically blocking their doorway. Other than that, feel free to observe them interact with the patients and try to adopt some of this.</p>
<p>OP, norcalguy and shades nailed it. If you can’t deal with doctors or patients , Houston we have a problem. As to how to fix the shyness problem, do what everybody else does - fake it. Act as if your faith was strong. It’ll work. Try it. Don’t sabotage yourself. You need this.</p>
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<p>I’m a pretty shy person actually. So, like you, I can find talking to patients, doctors, professors, etc. intimidating. Sometimes I have to force myself to do things that I am not entirely comfortable with. But, I think you will find yourself in many such situations in med school, residency, and beyond. You have to practice taking risks and getting out of your comfort zone. It’s the only way you’ll improve as a student and a physician. Most of the physicians, patients, and professors I’ve talked to have been extremely welcoming. We only imagine them as these uber-unapproachable beings.</p>
<p>I’m also a shy person - shy to the point of being rude. The ER waiting room was a great place for practicing my “canned” social skills, because I was basically doing the same thing over and over again. “Can I help you? Are you here to be seen? Please sign in here. Please take a seat, the nurse will see you as soon as possible. Are you having chest pain? Please sit down, I’ll tell the nurse right away.” So on and so forth. I got pretty good at talking to people “cold,” which is what I really hate doing.</p>
<p>Try to find something more interesting to do. I would hate the experience you describe. It is true that you will not be able to provide health care, but if you are not finding something stimulating in the ER, then it is a waste of time. </p>
<p>This tells you NOTHING about whether you would like medicine. Being an undergrad volunteer in an ER is in no way like actually being a physician.</p>
<p>If I was the doctor in your ER I would appreciate you not slowing me down. And it takes awhile for someone to be good enough at something to make up for that. OTOH, there must be other people it might be interesting and easier to get to know. The people who move patients and move things for example.Lab assistants, X-ray techs, medical assistants. I was a unit clerk before I went to medical school and I got to know folks in many parts of the hospital. Not sure what the goal of your volunteering is, but I cant imagine the experience is a total waste of time.</p>
<p>I started my volunteer experience three weeks ago and so far it’s been amazing. I realized you can’t be shy or just sit back because if not they won’t take interest in you or teach you much. The nurses and doctors might think you are just there because you need to, not because you want to. I haven’t had the chance to deal with any doctors yet but i have worked with nurses and parademics. From day one i was put on triage, i was blessed with an amazing young paramedic who breaks down every single thing she does so that i can learn it. At first i was scared to speak with the nurses, because of the same reason, i didn’t want to get in their way or anything but i faked my confidence and started going up to them and asking if they needed help with anything, almost all of the time they DO need some help. My very best advice is do not hold back, ask questions, and don’t think you are being dumb or anything, you are there to learn and grow from the experience. I am a very shy girl also, but the day before going in there i told myself, “no one knows me and how shy i am, i can be anyone”. and so i was. I’ve changed in just three weeks and it’s all thanks to this wonderful experience. </p>
<p>TRY TRY TRY TRY, when you have nothing to do ask the nurses or anyone for that matter if they need your help and you’ll end up doing more exciting things, communicate with the patients, ask how they are feeling and if you can help them with anything. and when you see something being done, ask questions and try to learn as much as you can.</p>
<p>Thanks to my perspective on things i not only run labs but i take vital signs, i watch every EKG, sometimes i push in the vacuum tubes when the paramedic is drawing blood(lol), and transfer pt’s from ER to other parts of the hospital when ever needed and yes it sounds like minuscule things and well that’s because they are but i’m learning so much and i wouldn’t have it any other way. Everyday i learn and do something different.</p>
<p>PUT ALL YOU CAN INTO IT!</p>
<p>I can’t believe this thread is already a year old! I’m still volunteering in the same ER, but I haven’t changed much compared to what I wrote in the thread. :(</p>
<p>The way I see it, an experience if only meaningful if you give it meaning. Although I wouldn’t want to paper push for my entire undergraduate career- it can give me a perspective on just how much paperwork and bureaucratic constraints there are in medicine, especially with the mess of HIPAA and HMOs- something that you could talk about in an interview or write in an essay.</p>
<p>You shouldn’t find talking to patients “scary”, if anything you should jump at that chance to improve not only your people skills but your skills in dealing with patients. When I first got my EMT cert, I was terrible at talking to patients (I was a bit intimidated too), but now it’s no big deal and it can actually be pretty fun.
You can hear a lot of interesting stories, understand where other people are coming from, learn about other cultures/socioeconomic backgrounds, or just hear amusing tales. And just as important, you get better at working with people/patients.</p>
<p>GS hit the nail on the head. </p>
<p>Talking to patients was terrifying for me at first, too, but it’s something you get better at only when you practice. So stop being chicken - get out there and starting doing.</p>
<p>OP,</p>
<p>Making friends and communicating with others is an art, if I may use an analogy, like playing a piano. When you play the piano the first time, of course, you are bound to be intimidated. That’s perfectly normal. However, the more you practice, the better you get at it.</p>
<p>By the way, there’s no perfection in ‘making friends’. Improving our communication skills and style is a life long art. </p>
<p>From my observation, I have noticed that women tend to be better in communication skills than men. Men have to work at it a bit. But there’s plenty of room and ways for everyone to improve. Here’s a handbook that may help you somewhat. I had taken a course in ‘Communication Skills’ way back in my early Corporate years but these concepts apply even today. </p>
<p>[How</a> to win friends and influence people - Google Books](<a href=“How To Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie - Google Books”>How To Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie - Google Books)</p>
<p>Where there’s a will, there’s a way!</p>
<p>Change your place of volunteering to something else more meanningful to you.</p>
<p>Why are you still volunteering in the ER? From what it seems like, you’re not gaining much valuable experience if all you’re involved in is busy work and paperwork. Try a new department, where things are a bit calmer, and maybe in that environment - you’ll be a little more stimulated to ask patients how they’re doing or talk to doctors. Which other departments are you interested in?
I’m actually volunteering in the physical therapy department in the hospital, even though I’m a premed (not applying to PT school). It’s actually a really great way to interact with patients, and I’ve gotten to spend a lot of time with them. I see lots of patients with neurological pathologies, surgery patients, etc.
The first objective is for you to find a department you’re more relaxed in, and are atleast a tad bit more interested in. Next, you can work your way up - form connections with patients, then nurses, and finally doctors. Just be self-confident, and ask questions… Doctors may not have time for chatting, but asking a question here and there will not hurt your chances.</p>