It's #NationalVolunteerWeek #NVW2020
I would like to take this to highlight just some of the impact volunteers have on the public health sector & myself individually.
I have worked with volunteers consistently over my entire nursing career.

When I worked in a nursing home, a volunteer named John brought in greeting cards for dementia patients to sort, set up Christmas decorations, helped me run daily cooking classes & would regularly keep an eye out when I needed to jump into a patients room while short staffed.

A volunteer named Kathy sat on hospital quality meetings, gave her perspective in various projects & helped me to set up a monthly sewing group in a public hospital. She regularly reached out to the community to get assistance & resources when I couldn't justify the time.

Most recently, a volunteer named Janette has helped me beyond measure. She comes weekly to pick up any tasks that nurses cannot find time to do. She has single handedly taken over 200 registrations for a community forum, compiled audit data, sat with patients, gathered surveys

Assisted with project write ups, organised donation drives & most importantly offered support to nurses who have been abused & assaulted from sick patients. At a local forum, Janette had a standing ovation from 200+ for her efforts. She is amazing

I have left out so many names because if I listed them all this thread would never end. Volunteers are beautiful creatures and as a Nurse, I am eternally grateful for them. If you know someone who volunteers, Thank them. #NationalVolunteerWeek #NVW2020