During the Summer of 2019, I volunteered in patient support at Kaiser Permanente Moanalua Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. I spent my time making rounds in the Geriatric Medicine, Intensive Care, and General Surgery units. My main focus was to ensure the patients were comfortable, both physically and emotionally.
Some of my favorite moments from this summer were sitting in patient’s rooms, just listening to them. I heard extravagant stories of their past, learned about their hopes and dreams, their fears, their families, or anything on their mind that day. It was through these interactions that I developed real friendships with many of the patients, and I realized that medical professionals can learn just as much from their patients as the patients learn from them.
Some of my most cherished friendships I made that summer were with the elderly patients, and this inspired me to explore the field of Geriatric Medicine. I began by asking Dr. Serena H. Y. Lo, a Geriatric Medicine specialist at Kaiser, if I could assist her with anything in her field. She allowed me to work closely with her as she completed delirium assessments on ten patients over the course of the Summer, and I was fascinated by her approach to medicine. She delivered patient-centered care with such empathy, attention to detail, and respect for her patients, and it was clear to me that Dr. Lo had genuine relationships with them. This volunteering experience taught me that the medical field is so much more than just treating symptoms, but it is about human beings caring for, learning from, and lifting up one another. I aspire to practice medicine with these values in the future.