My experience in working in hospice care has been nothing short of meaningful and eye-opening. Over the past several months, I have had the opportunity to get to know my patient that I will refer to as “Jane.” From the first moment I met her, she was the sweetest and most friendly woman I have ever met. I walked out of my first visit so excited to see her again and learn more about her. Every visit was filled with conversation, laughs, and singing which made the experience so enjoyable. Spending time with her taught me so much, like to appreciate the silly moments. Our conversations were always so nice and insightful, and we would talk about a variety of things, like her life as a nurse, her daily activities, hobbies, and family. Through all of this, we created a bond that I will forever cherish.
I feel that throughout this experience, I have grown in many ways and learned a lot about myself and patient care. Like I mentioned before, hospice has taught me to appreciate and make the most out of every moment, just like “Jane.” I came into this opportunity already having a passion for helping people and being empathetic, but these feelings increased even more after this experience, and I am so happy they did. My passion for helping others has increased so much through this experience because it truly means so much to the patients and seeing them happy is such a good feeling. Helping people you have never met can sometimes be uncomfortable because you don’t automatically know the correct way to help them or how they will react to the help. I experienced this initially even though I had the desire to help people, but I was able to prove to myself that I can do it.
Outside of a medical school application, this experience holds so much value to me because of the patient interaction. Besides this, it does hold a lot of value for a medical school application as well. Based on my knowledge and experience of those who have already applied and gotten into medical school, admission officers look for people who truly show their empathetic and passionate side. They look for people who would still put in the long hours of work and help even if money was not in the picture. My hospice experience put me in this mindset because seeing “Jane’s” face light up during our conversations means so much more to me than any monetary value ever could. On a medical school application, I would describe this program as heart-warming and life-changing. Volunteering in hospice is hard because you know the patient has limited time, so it is really important you make the most out of the time they have left with the patient’s best interest in mind.
As we are nearing the end of this cycle, I am so grateful I had the opportunity to get to know “Jane.” She is a wonderful person and genuinely has taught me so many life lessons. This experience has been nothing but memorable, meaningful, and enlightening.