To dislike my voluntary job?

[FedUpAtCrimbo]

I'm name-changed because I don't want to be outed. If you know me, please pretend you don't!
Ok so basically I have been working voluntarily in a hospice for around 3 months whilst at college, preparing for uni.
The whole idea was to get some experience to a) confirm that care was what I wanted to do and b) get a reference from someone in a care setting and c) show uni that I have experience and deserve an interview!
So I work four hours on a saturday morning. All they could give me. My major issue is that there is barely anything for me to do. I start at 9am and am pretty busy from 9-10 but after that, there is NOTHING for me to do. All the qualifieds bugger off into the staffroom and sit eating biscuits, drinking tea and slagging off members of staff that arn't there and I'm just left standing there like an idiot. Half the time I end up clearing up after the staff when they leave their mugs and crumbs etc everywhere.
A few staff members have made it obvious that they don't like volunteers, one of them is horrible, speaks to me like shit and blanks me (like offers everyone in the room a cup of coffee and purposely doesn't ask me) and I'm just really starting to dread going.

I don't want to quit because it will look like I tried care work and didn't get on with it but its not the work, its just that environment where you're stuck looking like a spare part for 3-4 hours knowing full well that the "real" staff would prefer it if you wern't there!

AIBU?

me too!

That sounds awful, I don't blame you for wanting to leave.

Have you thought about volunteering for a Befriending Service? Our local one offers companionship and help for vulnerable adults, usually elderly but also some younger people that are socially isolated through disease, disability or learning disabilities.

It's not really hands on personal care but maybe taking someone shopping, sitting with them to have a cuppa and help them write their Christmas cards, giving them a lift to the day centre or the doctors, or whatever they want really.

I would regard someone quite highly at interview if they had that sort of compassionate nature and experience, and you could maybe get some personal references from the clients?

I volunteered in a care home when I was about 14 and had more to do than it sounds like you do! I did it for one of the Duke Of Edinburgh's award categories.

Two hours every Saturday morning, I went there at about 8.45 to be ready for the breakfast service. I buttered about 100 slices of toast and poured tea into cups. The only thing I wasn't allowed to do was hand out medication for obvious reasons. then once breakfast was finished I went round the rooms with another staff member cleaning the bedrooms and bathroms. This was 17 years ago so perhaps care assistants don't do cleaning now?

One thing I wouldn't have had the confidence to do, but now I think it would probably make a huge difference, was just sitting and talking to the residents.

I think people are right when they say focus on the patients. There might be things you can do for them or even just sit and listen. I think a lot of "carers" forget that they are supposed to "care" for the people they are looking after, not just view them as an annoyance in the way of the next tea break. Nursing is a different matter, although in my experience I think a lot of nurses also forget about the "care" aspect of their jobs. I understand that while you are dealing with the medical needs of a patient it is a focused, specialised job but that doesn't mean you can't care for people's other needs too, even if it takes a few minutes longer.
I would get yourself a job as a domestic care assistant. We had one for my dad when my mum was in hospital and she was great. Helped him with his medication, made sure he'd eaten and was up and dressed. You would have loads more experience that was valuable and more importantly PAID FOR!

Sorry your experience of volunteering is so crap, it doesn't need to be like that. It does sound like you are unlucky with the people you are trying to work with though, they seem horrible.

I will just say from their point of view though, it's not always easy having a volunteer around. I used to work in a caring role, and we would often get volunteers or work experience students in. It was always fine when they first started, but after a while it got quite draining. I would be trying to do my job, while having to explain to someone the whole time what I was doing. when you have to do that all day, it can get tiring, and it means you can't interact with the patient you are working with so much. You can't let a volunteer do any of the things that would really help, because as they are not staff they have not been trained, are not insured, and not CRB checked. Although in your case it sounds like you could be CRB checked. Anyway, it really did make my job so much harder, and as it was a low wage job anyway, I really didn't feel like I was being paid enough to have to worry about volunteers as well. And you end up feeling guilty because apart from asking them to do the really crap jobs, you can't give them much to do because you are the one who gets in trouble if they get it wrong. I hope this doesn't come across really horribly, I don't mean it to, I just want to explain the other side of it.

I think you need to find a paid job so that you get given some worthwhile experience, or look for voluntry work from somewhere that needs you and will value your contribution.

As has been mentioned before, try the Domiciliary Care agencies in you area and get some paid work. The hours are very flexible so you could probably keep it on when you go to uni.

Take a newspaper and read to some people. Or a jigsaw and set it up on the table over the bed or in the communal area. Buy a book of crosswords and get them all to help you answer it. I work in a house for adults with Learning Difficulties. Often the residents choose to sit in peace and quiet in their rooms - so I sit in the lounge with a jigsaw and the tellyon. (Have checked with boss, this is fine as long as residents have choice to join me or be supported to do something else. And this only happens when all the cleaning and laundry has been done.)

Staff sitting around drinking tea for 4 hours seems outrageous to me. Pads need to be changed every 3 hours max. IV lines should be monitored regularly. Patients have social and emotional needs which should be met, either by staff keeping them company, family visits, or being able to chat to each other. Fluids need to be kept up, so I would have thought drinks should be offered around half ten/eleven. You say it's busy from 9-10, I guess that's breakfast. What about ladies' makeup and hair styling? Ooh, add hand/foot cream and nail painting to the list of things you could offer!

If you're unhappy, have a chat to the manager. If you don't get satisfactory answers, talk to the CQC (Care Quality Comission). Good luck

I would look for another placement tbh, sounds like a horrid place, staff that slag off patients is . Would you work somewhere were you were really unhappy, no just becaue your a volunteer doesnt mean you have to. There are plenty of other organisations, do some research. I know in milton keynes here we have an organisation called Volunteer Connexions, to put people in voluntry placements.

Yes look for caring type jobs too, local paper, JC etc.

Are you not allowed to spend your time chatting with the patients?