Just Being There by Naomi

Just Being There by Naomi - March 2026 Scholarship Essay

My passion to serve others has manifested into a dream of becoming a plastic surgeon within the emergency department to reconstruct trauma victims. While this is my overarching goal, I have noticed the impact I am able to have before I start my training to be a physician. First, I volunteered in two different hospitals and saw how crucial conversation can be with patients that have to come to the hospital to feel healthy again or with visitors who may be distraught. Now, I use those same conversation skills when I volunteer for hospice patients in order to relieve their caregivers and provide good company. I have heard many accounts from patients expressing how lonely it is in their last stage of life, especially when loved ones live far away and cannot visit regularly. My responsibility as a volunteer is to consistently be there to prevent patient loneliness.

One patient I had the pleasure of meeting, 'Jan', expressed how she felt trapped in her hospital bed because she was not allowed to move for 3 weeks and only saw her nurses come with medication a couple of times a day. It was then that I realized how important my presence is for patients that are struggling with health issues and have no one to talk to. Jan and I had lovely conversations about her life, before the nursing home, with her husband and when she worked as a grade school teacher. Hearing her reminisce about how she met her husband or that her grandkids drew her pictures made me realize how curious I can be when it comes to another person's life experience. Ever since I had the opportunity to Christmas carol when I was in high school, I knew that one of my best qualities was engaging well with new people. It was only after I began my volunteering work in hospice that I became aware of how natural it is for me to keep conversations going. This acts as a huge benefit when I meet a new patient and have to earn their trust so that they feel comfortable around me. I am grateful that that comfortability translates into an hour or two where they feel supported.

Jan has since passed away, but I continue to employ the same conversation tactics with the new patients that I meet. Beyond hospice, there is still value in giving patients the opportunity to talk about more than just their symptoms or chronic health problems. As I work with patients battling with Major Depressive Disorder at a psychiatric clinic, I love to talk to them about fun activities they have planned or TV shows they are watching. Simple questions that are not relevant to their condition allow for ongoing conversations that can spark joy. Watching these patients progress past their mental health struggles confirms how transformative medicine can be and how just being there can promote better attitudes before starting treatment.