Day 10

Day 10:

                Well he is here!!!!  I gave birth to my son on Saturday, April 28.  His name is Brantley and he was nine pounds four ounces, twenty and three-quarters inches long.  We could not be happier with our new addition to our family.  He is completely healthy and we are now at home doing well.  The thought that college life was rough completely leaves your mind when this little guy decides he is a bit confused on day and night.  Nonetheless, I love my little man and we are glad we got to experience St. Elizabeth East Hospital’s staff taking care of the both of us.  Everyone have a great summer, best of luck with classes, and remember what all you learned at your volunteer sight!  I know my summer with this bundle of joy of mine is going to be great!     

Day 9

Day 9:

                Well its day nine and it is my last day to volunteer before I myself will be at the desk registering to have my son.   Tammy is back and it is nice to know that my last day here is working with her because she is the one who helped make my experience so great.  We got to do a few bed side registrations.  The first couple were a success; however, we did have a miscommunication with the charge nurse causing a mix up in rooms.  The charge nurse was furious, but it really was not a huge deal.  So, day nine was spent reminiscing, helping everyone who came in of course, also it was spent discussing the excitement, and nerves that were starting to come about for me.  Tammy could not wait until I was checked in.  She kept telling me that it had better be while she was working and not at night.  Day nine was sad but very enjoyable.  I was sad it was my last day here, but at the same time, I felt that what I experienced would be more beneficial to me than I could ever imagine along with the idea that I helped the St. Elizabeth team succeed.   So, while it seems as though I did not do a whole lot more than sit at a desk and give directions, I feel like the little bit I did get to do helped the hospital and inspired myself.

Day 8

Day 8:

                Well Tammy still is not back from vacation, but no more temp who makes the day not so much fun.  Instead Brandi is here  with me and she knows everything!  Thankfully she could pick up extra shifts, because she normally works at the Women’s Center Registration desk for second shift.  It felt good to have someone familiar with the desk and routine working with me again.  We very smoothly worked through our day together.  Unfortunately, there again was not a whole lot going on registration wise, but we did have quite a few directions to give and several babies that we got to see go home.  All in all another quiet but enjoyable volunteering day.

Day 7

Day 7:

                Again day seven of volunteering was one of mixed emotion.  Unfortunately, it seemed to be much like day six, which was very frustrating.  Luckily, the temp seemed to have built up some confidence in what she was doing and her answers to the guest.  That meant a smoother day for me because this time I did not feel like everything was being directed my way, but at the same time most of the questions she still shoved my direction.  This again put me in some awkward positions.  Today we do not do any bedside registrations, because again there were no walk-ins and the scheduled patients either came before or after my time there.  I’m not complaining though because again I think it would have been more of a disaster then an improvement for the patient and nursing staff.   So, day seven started and ended not too roughly and not extremely smoothly but still beneficial for all involved which is what matters most. 

Day 6

Day 6:

                Well day six came and went.  There was definitely nothing special about today.  Tammy went on vacation and there is a temporary replacement at the desk with me.  She is very unsure of herself and unsure of exact the process that it suppose to take place.  She was asking me tons of questions and expecting me to answer all the guest questions, which was very unnerving because I am still learning everything as well.  There were no walk-ins that had to be registered; therefore, we did not have to do the bed side registration that Tammy and I had started the week before.  I was very thankful for this, because with the temp at the desk I think it would have been very confusing and not ended pretty for everyone involved.  This day was very boring and trying for me unfortunately.  It was boring because there was not a lot going on out by the desk, but it was also trying because the few things that did happen all got directed towards me.  I had to give answers to questions that I was very unsure of which I do not like doing at all, and I made sure I apologized if I did not know an answer.  It is so frustrating to be semi new at your position and have someone that is supposed to be over you that directs everything your way no matter what.  This just made for a very frustrating day and I was glad when it came to an end. 

Day 5

Day 5:

                Finally day five was here and so was my computer access!  The IT department finally worked out the kinks in the system and found a way create an access code for me.  Sense I had computer access finally, Tammi and I spent most of our morning together going through each of the programs that I would need to know how to operate and navigate.  They all seemed pretty easy until we got to the hospital directory part.  My computer did not have the updated easy version that just listed the Women’s Center patients; therefore, it was very difficult to try direct visitors to the correct rooms.  So, we knew we had to come up with a new plan for that because it was very ineffective and inefficient.  Day five was nice because I was not just sitting starring at a wall until someone walked in, I was exploring the computer system and learning the basics.  This day got me excited for my future volunteering hours, because I was hopeful that things would start falling into place and we could move forward with the bed side registration project.