Madeline Manuel

3-3-17

Journal Entry #1

Today, I volunteered at the McLaren Macomb hospital. I volunteer on the 3 rd

Floor, West area, which is the department where patients who just got surgery recover

and then get later discharged when they are ready to leave. My job is usually to respond

to call lights and serve the patients needs like getting them water or food, picking up

their trays, and getting their nurse when they are available. And most of the time, the

patients I meet are very kind, understanding, and patient, so I am not very intimidated

by them.

However, I met a patient who was recently discharged from a mental facility. This

was the first time in my six months or so of volunteering here that there was someone

unique in my eyes. When I heard about this patient, I became very intrigued. I became

curious how she would behave with the nurses and me. But this thought made be

nervous since that I wouldnt know how to properly talk to her as Im not the most social

person, so I would hesitantly enter the room unless there was a nurse with me. As I

walked around the West area, I would often gaze into the room, observing how she

communicated with the nurses, how she behaved, and what she looked like.

From what I remember, she was African American, tall, middle-aged, and

heavyset. She had an impairment in her speech, and so I couldnt really understand

what she was saying. I remember that the nurses brought her bags of makeup and such

to distract her, and she would often ask for the nurses to put makeup on her and fix her
hair. I would often ask nurses why she came from the mental facility, and they would tell

me that she had pica and would often stick things up her privates. They also told me

that she was sexually abused as a young child. When I heard about the patients history,

I was saddened by that thought. I was thinking how it has affected her life and maybe

even on her behavior.

I continued to observe the patient and particularly on her interaction with the

nurses. From what I observed, I was truly impressed, impressed at they can understand

what she was saying, being very kind to her, and keeping up the conversation.

Oftentimes, the patient would rant for some time, and the nurses would patiently wait for

her to finish and then say something kind to continue the conversation. When she tried

to demand for something, the nurse would reason with her, saying that they were told

not to by the facility or that it would be on its way. From this, I was thinking that the

nurses have this social ability because of Anticipatory Socialization. They probably

worked in restaurants or in the hospital during high school or college, dealing with all

types of people, from the easy-going to the high-tempered, or maybe even volunteered

in hospitals to expose themselves to the hospital setting. Regardless, the experience

they have acquired allowed them to confidently and appropriately respond to different

people.

Eventually, I had to help with the patient. I did not help her directly, but I had to

bring her clothes from the mental facility to her room. I remember that the nurse told me

to bring a wheelchair just in case there was a lot of stuff, and there was. She had three

garbage-sized bags filled with clothes and shoes. In addition to brining her clothes to

her, I was also told to double-check and even triple check for any sharp objects that she
may potentially insert inside herself. When I opened them, they smelled terrible, as if

they havent been washed in weeks, but I still continued my task. I realized that her

having all these heavy and large bags may mean that she was kept in the facility for a

long time, and that thought made me sympathize for her. I could not imagine being in a

facility for a long time, feeling that I have limited freedom and socialization.

After giving her bags to her, she immediately dumped the content on the floor,

searching for a coloring book and color supplies, things that she had requested from the

facility. She didnt find them, and she got angry and ranted for some time on how she

needed it. When I saw her discontent face, I immediately felt intimidated and left to get

her nurse and handle the situation. From my actions, I felt unsure if I really can

confidently socialize with other patients like the nurses can do. I am volunteering as part

of my Anticipatory Socialization, but now I am beginning to question if I really can

become a doctor, as I am not the most social person. However, I am still determined to

become one, and this patient gives me more depth on the challenges of a doctor. I am

still young, and she was the first patient I have seen act like that, so I still have time to

grow.

Looking back at that patient, I feel that her childlike behavior and maybe even the

unusual behavior resulted from her traumatic childhood. I remember in the online

homework that socializing agents are the causes of how people act, think, and feel.

As socialization is established in childhood and eventually evolves as people

grow up, I think the one socializing agent that has most deeply affected this

patient was family. If it was her family members that did this to her, I believe that she

may have wanted to find a way to compensate for an innocent childhood, resulting in
her acting like a child having tantrums and wanting to draw and color pictures. The

possibility of a family member abusing her probably made her think that it is okay to

stick unwanted things inside herself, psychologically driving her to develop pica and to

target her privates.

3-10-17

Journal Entry #2

Today, I volunteered at the McLaren Macomb hospital. Besides my usual job of

picking up the patient trays, I also responded to call lights and get their nurse when they

needed to go to the bathroom or need their pills. Up until this week, I have not really

engaged in anything medical related, just getting the nurses to do it. I think its because

I thought that volunteers are not allowed to do it since they are there to tend to

mundane tasks for the patients.

 However, today I learned how to take blood sugar measurements and record

them onto the nurses computer.

Learned how to take blood sugar measurements and record them on the

computer
Learned about one of the patients story of how they got in the hospital and her

life story
Anticipatory socialization

3-17-17

Journal Entry #3

Today, I volunteered at the McLaren Macomb Hospital. This time, I volunteered

earlier than my usual time so that I can go home earlier, and my time was from 2:00

until 6:00. When went into my usual wing, I felt a very different air, an air that was

familiar to me when I volunteered for the very first time. It was an air of uncertainty and

intimidation. I soon realized as I stepped into the wing that the nurses I usually work

with werent there. I knew from this moment that I would feel uncomfortable, intimidated,
and shyer than usual. The nurses seemed more serious and busier than the ones I

always work with, so I did not want to bother them at all.

One of the first jobs I do in the wing is to check if any glove boxes need to be

refilled. I guess that one of the nurses saw me doing this and asked me to be more like

a maid, throwing out the garbage, getting the trays, emptying dirty linen bags, etc. I

know that those are some of my tasks, but she never let me talk to the patients when

they used their call lights.

Volunteered starting from 2:00 until 6:00

The nurses I usually work with werent there, so I was stuck with unfamiliar ones.
I did not really engage with the patients, but took more of the role of cleanup-
picking up finished trays, emptying dirty linen bags, getting garbage
I felt more intimidated and shyer, just like the 1 st time I volunteered in October
Until 3:30, I felt alone. But, at that time, the nurses who I always work with came.
I felt relieved, and realized that I am social only with those who Im familiar with.
The patient in Room 384 had many visitors in her room. I felt intimidated, shyer,
and more awkward, as they were big and very social. But I found that they were
all very nice and liked joking around, relieving me from fear.

3-24-17

Journal Entry #4
 Volunteered at the fish fry in St. Isaac Jogues for the first time this year
The first job I did was in the kitchen, where my brother and I had to thaw frozen
fish and squeeze them from the water. I have never done this job, so I was
nervous that I did everything wrong.
As I have volunteered here many times in the past, many of the staff
remembered me and thanked me for last year.
After the fish, my brother and I prepared tables for reserved families in various
rooms. These rooms made us remember going to that school and kind of
sentimental
At around 4:00, crowds of people came in and soon there was a long line to
order their food.
At 4:45, my brother and I decided to collect finished trays, and there were many
we had to pick up.
I went back into the kitchen and helped with takeouts and then went back to
collecting trays.
I found out that while I was working in the kitchen, my brother essentially ditched
his job to hang out with his old school friend. And at around 5pm is when the Fish
Fry became very busy. In place of my brother, I became the tray collector and
helped many families clean up to leave.