Recently I was at a family
gathering, and I was telling some of my cousins about all of the amazing
experiences I’ve had while job shadowing a pharmacist in the
Emergency Department at UVRMC. One of my cousins made a comment about how it
was hard for her to believe that the girl sitting in front of her was the
same girl who had passed out when she got her ears pierced. Looking back at
who I was then and who I am now, I can easily see that she’s right.
When I started job shadowing in the ED, I was sixteen. Despite almost being through my Associates
degree, I didn’t know which educational path I was going to pursue. I didn’t
know where I was going to be in a year—which college, which major—let alone
what job I was going to be doing in ten years. I was terrified of the future
and everything that it held. I was mortified to make decisions about my future
because I knew it would make me feel tied down and stuck in one career. I was
scared I was going to have to settle into a profession or field that I hated.
Now, I know exactly what I
want. I know who I am and where I’m
going. Instead of looming uncertainty about my future,
I see endless possibilities in a field I’ve fallen completely in love with. I
know where I’ll be in a year, and while I don’t know exactly what job I’ll be
working at in ten years, I know it’ll be one I love and am well trained to do.
It would be a lie if I said
all the changes I’ve experienced are because I job shadowed. But a lot of them
are because of the time I’ve spent in the Emergency Department. The ED was
always something that I didn’t think I could do, and I definitely didn’t think
I would like it, but since day one, I set out to prove to myself that I could
thrive there, and I did. And pretty soon, existing in the ED wasn’t hard
anymore—it was fun.
I’ve honestly never felt such
a sense of belonging, outside the walls of my home, than I felt at the
hospital. People there know and respect me. The ED staff would go out of their
way to include me and make sure I had every learning experience possible. While
I was there, I felt like a future medical professional, instead of a teenage
girl who didn’t really know her place in the world.
Beyond that, I truly learned
who I am as a person. I learned that I occasionally get queasy and dizzy in
stressful situations. I learned that blood doesn’t bother me as much as the
atmosphere in the room when a patient is fighting for their life. I learned
that I don’t give up, and I fight for what I want, even if it’s hard or
embarrassing or out of my comfort zone. I learned that I’m strong and smart and
ready to enter the world as a professional.
