Week Two - Task 4

On my first day with Red Cross it was a little weird. It was at a church and no one really talked to me. I just got pointed to the canteen where you give the donors juice and cookies after they donate. After a while I got used to the flow of things and it was a little better. My work depends on which station I get. I personally have been working at the actually blood drives. The first I had the canteen and the second two I worked at the registration desk. At the canteen I distribute juice and cookies, have the donors fill out a survey about their experience, and talk to them. I personally prefer the registration. At the registration desk we ask if they are an appointment or walk-in. They sign-in, fill out some forms, and read over the inforamtional booklet. I file their forms, give them a free gift for donating, give them a number, and send them to the next station to answer questions by a nurse and get their sugar and stuff tested. I personally learned a lot do far. The profession I was interested in was Medical Assisting. Working in the medical field doing paperwork, computer work, and things of that nature. This has showed me that I could definitely handle it and I really enjoy the work. To help me with Red Cross I asked the nurses questions and read over all the informational handouts to get a good sense of the answers to questions donors frequently ask. At this particular placement I don't really talk much to the nurses themselves. I just do my job. But with all the emergencies in the medical field, it's better if you're not worried about being social. Mostly the nurses are pleasant, but some aren't. On the positive side, I'm supposed to be social with the donors and most of them like me. As far as negatives, I really don't think there are too many, besides the antisocial behavior from the nurses. But I think that since I'm actually at quite a few functions they're warming up to me. In the coming weeks I hope to gain some more experience and get in a lot of hours. I enjoy working with the Red Cross and want to see about applying for a permanent position later.