Volunteer 101

Rule #1- When the Anesthesiologist is rambling on about the inner workings of the heart, while viewing it on a sonogram monitor, do not ask anything, do not speak, if you must make an acknowledgment, use a simple "yes" and "ok". Basically, you have you zero clue to what is going on.

Rule #2- You are not welcomed as a worthless pre-med especially by the, hawk-eyed, angry surgeons in the OR. Therefore, when entering the OR immediately head straight to the Anesthesiologist's crammed corner and stand directly behind something awkwardly large and intrusive, but be sure to remain close enough to throw a peak, or two, around the large object to glance at the operation.

Rule # 3- Don't speak, breathe too loudly, cough (ever), chew gum loudly, slouch, ask questions (under don't speak), try to be helpful, fall asleep, or look directly into the eyes of the Surgeons. Speak only, when at first spoken towards, and then hopefully words will jumble together to create a coherent sentence in response.

Despite all of these rules, my experience "volunteering" in the OR has been a treat. As I have witnessed a double lung transplant, a man being operated on after a traumatic car accident, and a non-invasive surgery. Surprisingly, the smell of burning hair, site of bright red blood, organs such as a spleen and two lungs taken out of the patients body, and "guts" being washed before being placed back into the patients body has not made me nauseous. As far as the actual volunteering part I am absolutely nonproductive in anything useful. Mostly, I am watching procedures for my personal benefit while chatting with the Anesthesiologists. But we won't tell my personal essay/the medical school adcomms that part...to them, I was caring deeply for ill patients, running through landmines searching for cures, assisting Doctors with finding critical overseas operation supplies (such as towels), spending valuable time with patient's families, making thousands of crucial IV apparatuses, and discovering my true passion for medicine that I've experienced a medical specialty revelation, a future non-invasive thoracic surgeon!
+15 pts, You have gained a new level!