November Extra Blog:

This month, I have been struggling to find volunteer work for my Independent Component. The only source of volunteer work is at my mom's local facility at Vermont. But the problems: on what days I am able to go (weekend or weekdays), how many hours I am able to stay, the driving takes only an hour, and some of the faculty members are having a trust issue due to my age (thoughts of having no high school students working in THEIR facility). My mom is doing all she can to help me find any volunteer work for my project from every clinic and nursing home she has been working in (she works in about 3-4 clinics as a RN). She has been such a great help so far, from setting me up with my mentor and great medical advice from her experiences that relates to my topic. Recently my mom offered another volunteer idea at her (other) local facility at Eastland, which is close by to Ipoly and my home. She told me that if I get admitted to do volunteer work, I am able to go with my mom on weekends and stay in the facility until the night shift (when my mom finish). The only flaw is that I will be speaking with doctors on the phone, but I will be able to interact with patients physically such as helping them with minor issues or problems. As I wait for the facility to call me, I have bought a new book this pass week, its called "New Girl" by Amy Silverstein. It is a autobiography about a woman (Amy Silverstein) who goes through a heart transplant. She tells about her perspective view as a patient, the challenges on what she, the patient, faces. I found this book in one of my articles ʺThe Choices Patients Make.ʺ by  Pauline W. Chen. It intrigued me to find this book because in the article it tells about a PASS patient who have read the book herself. This patient understood the book both mind and soul, she states out that all patients can relate to this story. The story of what goes on in a patient's head.