Volunteer Stories – Sonia

Read Sonia’s story on how watching an interview on TV, led her to register with us at VAL, to volunteer and help to support with the Covid-19 Vaccination process.

I received my first two vaccination at the Leicester Royal Infirmary last year and I remembered both occasions as being a really positive experience. The volunteers at the clinical staff members were all welcoming, polite and professional, and I remember thinking that if I ever got the opportunity to volunteer, I would love to do it!

In November 2021, Sonia was watching the local news on TV which featured a segment about the volunteering effort taking place. It featured interviews from some of the volunteers from various Covid-19 vaccination sites across Leicestershire, who spoke positively about their experience. The news article mentioned that more volunteers were needed to help with the vaccination effort. She was browsing through her social media and came across an advert asking for volunteers on our VAL Twitter page.

I was browsing Twitter and saw an advert asking for volunteers; I applied immediately! I started volunteering soon after. My first volunteering shift was at the Leicester Royal Infirmary and although I was initially nervous, the other volunteers and the clinical staff soon put me at ease and I loved the experience! I have been volunteering on a regular basis at the Leicester Royal Infirmary ever since.

I volunteer mainly at the Leicester Royal Infirmary where my main responsibility is stamping the vaccination cards after people have been vaccinated and making sure that they are feeling OK by offering them water to drink, answering their questions about how they can access an electronic record of their vaccinations and directing them to other parts of the hospital!

I have been given some additional responsibilites by the clinical staff (nurses and doctors) who have asked me to observe people who are extremely nervous about having the vaccine and clinically vulnerable patients after they have received the vaccine and to let the clinical staff know if they are feeling unwell. I have also been shown how to clean and prepare a medical couch if people need to have a vaccination behind a screen and if they need to lie down after receiving a vaccination.

I have the found the experience of volunteering to be a wholly positive one! It has encouraged me to try something new, meet people who I wouldn’t usually meet (other volunteers; clinical staff and the wider public) and at times, manage those tricky situations with people. I have also had the opportunity to speak with medical professionals about the various health conditions, the vaccines and I have witnessed first-hand how they handle situations when people are nervous about having the vaccine which aids my own role at work as I am able to talk to students who are interested in pursuing a career in health care about my experiences to give them a better insight.

I believe I have learned gained a better understanding of what the realities of working in a healthcare setting is really like and improved my knowledge about how physical and mental health conditions can affect other people. My confidence with regards to meeting new people has grown too; it can seem intimidating at times when stepping into a completely new environment amongst medical professionals, but I have been genuinely pleasantly surprised by just how welcoming and friendly people have been which has made the experience an extremely positive one.

I believe that volunteering has provided me with the confidence to step outside my comfort zone and try something different. In turn, I have had the opportunity to meet new people, have interesting and engaging conversations with medical professionals, and gain experience in a field I have never had the opportunity to work in before.

My opinion is that all experience is good experience and you never know when the skills will be useful in the future. Of course it will look good on my CV, but even better is the real-world insight is has provided me with with regards to working in healthcare and the many challenges, as well as the delightful rewards, that it affords the hard-working people who work in this sector.

Currrently working on a full-time basis, Sonia has continued to work and volunteer during the Christmas break as well as on the weekends to fit around her family commitments. She hopes to continue volunteering as she has really enjoyed the experience and feels that it has provided her with an invaluable insight into the realities of working in healthcare, and that perhaps maybe she may want to continue working in this field one day!

I feel extremely grateful and immensely proud that I was given the opportunity to volunteer at a particularly difficult time for many of us as I can now say that I was part of the vaccination effort which has helped the country to get back on its feet and has given many people the hope, and belief, that they can reclaim their lives once again. Volunteering is an amazing experience and the other volunteers I have had the pleasure of sharing this experience with are equally wonderful, kind people who give their time selflessly – and with a smile on their faces!