Sammy Miller
Sports Editor
Many students aspire to reach dream professions, but one Costa junior in particular is making a change throughout the community and carving a path for herself in the medical field.
Junior Mary Clare Powell applied for the volunteer program at Little Company of Mary Hospital in Torrance in August, and was selected alongside other South Bay students to work there. The program gives students who are looking to enter the field of medicine an opportunity to develop their skills and see what it is like to work in a hospital.
“Hospitals can be a very scary place for some people, but by getting behind the scenes [at the hospital], I realized how under control and how great they really are,” Powell said.
Powell’s grandfather is involved at Little Company of Mary and introduced her to the program. According to Powell, when the time came around to apply, she jumped at the opportunity, knowing that it would help her tremendously on her journey to becoming a nurse.
“[For the] first few days, I was really intimidated because the hospital was huge and I was concerned about finding my way around,” Powell said. “But, they have nice staff members and are very prepared and know what they are doing.”
Every Tuesday from 5-7 p.m, Powell volunteers at the hospital and helps different departments. She assists patients in the labor and delivery room, same-day patients, Gastroenterology (GI), discharges, labs and she also runs errands throughout the hospital.
“I love seeing the joy of the mother and father with their new baby and being able to bring them out into the sunlight after being in the hospital,” Powell said. “They are so happy with their new baby and when I wheel them out, everyone congratulates [them], which is such a sweet moment.”
The program allows volunteers to work in different departments throughout the hospital. Due to every department being so different, each one includes a varying set of rules, that volunteers must learn, Powell said.
“Every Tuesday we meet in the program’s designated room and we get call slips to run different errands in the different departments,” Powell said. “When you are finished with an errand you come back to the room and wait for the next call slip which explains what you need to do.”
Powell wanted to combine her love of people, anatomy and the TV show, “Grey’s Anatomy” into a future career and she hopes this program helps her to achieve this goal. Powell transports specimens to labs and runs prescriptions to the pharmacy, which are tasks that help build the foundation for a successful nurse.
“I have always been interested in medicine and anatomy and in my seventh grade science class I was really into studying the human body,” Powell said. “I am also a people person and especially a kid person, so I wanted something that combines those things.”
While Powell is working her shifts at the hospital, she is able to interact with the patients and make meaningful connections. Powell greets patients with smiles and gets to know them so that the hospital becomes a comfortable environment, Powell said.
“I have seen so many videos on Instagram of nurses singing their patient’s favorite songs and how the patient has such a big smile on their face and it makes me so happy,” Powell said. “I hope that I could have that impact on patients when I’m a nurse as well.”
Powell will participate in the program throughout her junior and senior year and wants to pursue a career in nursing. According to Powell, she is very excited for the future and to continue to learn in the program.
“A nurse has more interaction with the patients rather than the doctors, so I would be able to get more one-on-one interactions,” Powell said. “With a future in the medical field, I hope to learn very useful skills, but more importantly spend my days being surrounded by and helping people.”
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