While most high school seniors spend their weekend mornings sleeping in, Donna Mahmoudi (12) wakes up early once each weekend, puts on a polo shirt that says “Volunteer,” a badge, and scrubs pants, and heads to Sharp Memorial Hospital for four hours of volunteering in the Sharp Labor and Delivery unit. She was looking for a volunteering position at a hospital specifically as she hopes to pursue a career as a physician in the future. 

“I thought that going to a hospital would expose me to different experiences that I could use in my journey to become a physician,” Mahmoudi said.

Mahmoudi started her volunteering in December of 2022 in the gift shop but has since progressed to the Sharp Labor and Delivery unit. 

“Junior volunteers are required, for their first 75 hours, to work somewhere more low stakes, so either the concierge or the gift shop,” Mahmoudi said. “After 75 hours, you have the option of either staying there or being assigned to another nursing unit. I chose to go to another nursing unit and I was randomly assigned to the Mary Birch nursing unit.”

When Mahmoudi first arrives at the hospital, she signs in and receives a pager-like phone used for communication within the hospital. Then, the work begins, starting with restocking supplies and checking in with the nurses to see if there’s anything else they need. 

“Throughout my four hours there, I will be called to discharge patients and take them to security downstairs to cut the babies’ tags off,” Mahmoudi said. “I might get called to do some other things for the patients whether it’s giving them food or water or extra blankets or redoing their beds. I also set up new rooms. If there’s nothing to do, I’ll clean the areas or I’ll do paperwork. I also have to prepare folders for every new admission or I prepare C-Section bags for the C-Section moms.”

A big part of her job volunteering in the labor and delivery unit is forming connections with the numerous patients she sees each day. She said that she does her best to brighten their days and make casual conversation.

“I’m taking [new mothers] down in the elevator, so it’s awkward if I don’t talk with them,” Mahmoudi said. “I have the normal script of, ‘Hello! Congratulations! What’s your baby’s name? Your baby’s so cute. I love their outfit. Are you excited to go home?’ Especially when the moms are waiting for their husbands to bring their cars, I try to spark conversation.”

One particular connection Mahmoudi remembers occurred in one of these elevator rides. 

“One of the babies had the same middle name as my first name,” Mahmoudi said. “The people I was taking down were explaining it to me and they thought it was meant to be.”

Mahmoudi has also used her knowledge from taking AP Spanish, to communicate with patients in the ward. In one instance, Mahmoudi said that there were no other nurses on the floor who spoke Spanish, and Mahmoudi was able to step in and communicate with a patient who couldn’t speak English, facilitating conversation.

Throughout her shifts, Mahmoudi spends most of her time on her feet, walking from the maternity ward on the 5th and 6th floor down the elevator with the patients to the first floor. 

“The most challenging part is walking for like 12,000 steps in the four hours I’m there,” Mahmoudi said. “It can range between five to 12 patients [I take down to get their cars]. It depends on how many other volunteers are there and how busy it is. Fourth of July weekend, for some reason, I took down 15 patients, but last week was pretty chill. It just depends on the week.”

Having almost completed an additional 75 hours since entering the unit, Mahmoudi will soon be faced with figuring out where she goes from here. 

“I’m almost at 75 hours, so I can choose to go to another unit,” Mahmoudi said. “It’s random [assignments], so it could be oncology or the ICU. I don’t know yet [if I will change units]. I do enjoy seeing the same nurses every time I go, but I know that other units will have new opportunities. When I get to 75 hours, I’ll see what my options are.”

According to Mahmoudi, there are certain parts of working in the Mary Birch nursing unit that she appreciates, but in the future, she still hopes to experience different environments to learn more about various fields of nursing. 

“There are pros and cons of working at Mary Birch,” Mahmoudi said. “You know what to expect; it’s not like an ICU or ER. You know what’s going to happen. I sometimes wish I had gone somewhere different so that I could have a new experience every time and learn about different things. But, I do like the calmer environment of knowing what to expect.”

Mahmoudi said that if she could pick any unit, she would select volunteering in the ER. The fast-paced, multi-disciplinary work would keep her on her toes and allow her to try countless new things. 

In the future, Mahmoudi hopes to major in human biology, molecular biology, or applied health science, and then continue to medical school and residency. She said that she recognizes how crucial her volunteering experience and the knowledge she has gained will be as she does different rotations throughout her residency. Plus, working in the Labor and Delivery Unit has inspired Mahmoudi to be even more passionate about becoming a pediatrician. 

Since the time she first started volunteering at the gift shop, Mahmoudi has seen her impact on the patients and staff increase exponentially, and now she feels like she is genuinely making an impact at the hospital.

“The most rewarding part is seeing the relief on the nurses’ faces when I come in because they know that I can help them, and they won’t be as stressed out,” Mahmoudi said. “Also, when the parents are super grateful, and the grandma and everyone are coming, and they’re like, ‘Thank you so much for helping. You really made an impact—all of you nurses and volunteers.’ Knowing that the patients get home safe is really rewarding.”