An Encouraging Day

lots of exciting things have happened this week

Monday I had my last training for volunteering at the Hospital

I am so so so excited to finally start 

hopefully by the time I'm back from spring break I will have 

my uniform and I will be ready to start!!

Wednesday was such an amazing day for me

I got to shadow the Social Workers at MUSC

I have been arranging this since the middle of February

the hospital has been so helpful and so student friendly 

they've done so much for me the past month.

I started the day at 8 am with the Adult ICU social worker

Kesha, in the main hospital.

I am bound by confidentiality so I can't discuss our patients 

the ICU is full of so many sick people and it was heart breaking seeing 

the patients and family suffering.

all I could do was pray for the family's as we made our rounds

It was such a positive and good experience for me

Kesha taught me so much about how social work works in the hospital

she was so so nice and so good at her job

the families really loved her!

after lunch I had to head and get my volunteer health exam

I had to get a flu shot and a tb test

I've only had a flu shot once in my life its not something I usually get

but if you don't get it you have to wear a mask 24/7 in the hospital 

and I sure didn't want to do that!

my arm immediately started hurting and only got worse as the day went on

it hurt to make the slightest move, 

and its still sore today. 

after all that I headed back to the Social work office and 

went to work with Erin in the NICU

we had an ethics meeting which was incredibly interesting

I sat there the whole time and tried to imagine

If it were my child and what I would do.

the NICU is a difficult  place to see

actually seeing those tiny tiny babies in person, 

I can't even describe the emotions

but there is so much hope in their 

you can see it in the faces of the parents

being at the NICU was probable the most difficult thing for me

those babies are so small some could fit in the palm of my hands

It take some very special people to work there!!

I really admire all the nurses, physicians and social workers that work there

after spending the afternoon with Erin I headed to the 

GI unit with Mrs. Mary Catherine 

She is just a such an amazing lady I really felt so honored to 

be able to spend the hour I did with her.

She is so knowledgeable in what she does and 

she cares so much for her patients

we had to deliver news that families do not want to hear

and she did it so well and was so good at relating and comforting the family

I really look up to her!!

Being a medical Social Worker comes with lots of sadness

but you have good cases and miracle cases

and these make it worth it.

family's really look towards their social worker for support and guidance

I can really see myself working at the hospital 

dedicating my life to helping patients and their family 

while there going through the stress of a hospital stay