Volunteering at Fairview - Week 5

Over the months that I have been volunteering at Fairview, I have not experienced many major challenges. Sometimes I will be delivering medications to nurses that have had a particularly tough day and can be impatient with me, which can be very frustrating at times. Other times, I will be waiting for a nurse to come to the door of the unit I am at so the medications can be signed off and delivered to the patients. This, at times, is a test of my patience. Today as I was volunteering, neither problem arose, but taking this opportunity to reflect on how to handle these situations in the future will provide me with insight into these problems when they do arise. I think the best way for me to deal with impatience is to try to see the problem from the nurse's point of view. I must always keep in mind that they are not getting impatient with me, which will prevent me from taking an issue too personally. The most valuable thing I do when these problems arise is stay calm and collected and still act in a very professional manner, regardless of how frustrated I am. After all, I am doing service for the benefit of others first, and although the benefits I get from my service-learning are an important by-product, they are not the reason I continue to volunteer every week.