Former volunteer returns as ophthalmology student
7th October, 2024
Jin Zi, a former volunteer, recently visited Moorfields as part of a week-long ophthalmology placement. She told us about her experiences.
I came to visit Moorfields one day as a medical student aspiring to become an ophthalmologist. I met Robert, a volunteer support officer for Friends of Moorfields, while I was asking around about how I could get involved. I became a volunteer within the next month.
Prior to starting volunteering, I’d enjoyed seeing a glimpse of ophthalmology through shadowing an ophthalmologist. I wanted to further my learning through hearing patients’ perspectives about their experiences, and at the same time gain more exposure to ophthalmology in the theatres.
During my time as a volunteer, my main role was as a handholder, speaking to patients prior to their operations and accompanying them into theatre to hold their hands and provide reassurance. I also directed patients around the hospital and helped at the Friends shop.
I started each day by heading straight to the waiting areas and introducing myself and my role to patients waiting there. I asked if they would like to have someone hold their hand during the operation and if they did, I would keep them company prior to the surgery. In theatres or the operation room, I allowed them to hold my hand throughout the procedure while providing them with verbal reassurance if they were feeling anxious. I also spend my time in surgery trying to learn about the operation by talking to the surgeon. After the procedure, I would take the patient to the recovery room where I would speak to them to learn how they felt about the procedure and make sure they feel comfortable, before leaving them to meet another patient in the waiting area again.
I really enjoyed speaking to everyone at Moorfields, including the patients, hospital staff, and fellow volunteers. I was surprised at how comfortable I felt making small talk with patients with various eye conditions, where conversations flowed from their interest in my medical school experiences to an amalgam of topics including their unique perspectives of travelling and world cuisines. The patients were very appreciative of our help and that of the staff, which made me really enjoy the atmosphere at Moorfields.
My volunteering experience left me with many invaluable skills. I gained a deeper understanding of patients’ concerns and expectations about having an eye operation, and am able to empathise further with them. In fact, I deeply connected with the saying that “patients are our best teachers” when I learned about the experiences of conditions people had to go through including the fear of progressive vision loss with glaucoma and having an amniotic membrane placed onto the eye to treat a chemical burn. I am surprised by how the impact of such a seemingly-small gesture – a touch of the hand – can make one feel grounded when facing an operation for the first time or even for the third time, be it small or large.
While I am no longer a volunteer, recently I had a week-long ophthalmology placement at Moorfields as part of my medical school curriculum. I was able to shadow doctors from a variety of subspecialties in ophthalmology, including glaucoma, uveitis, retina and paediatric ophthalmology. I found uveitis and paediatric ophthalmology particularly interesting.
I have felt more equipped and less anxious when starting my medical placements in third year having volunteered alongside my medical school placements. It has also furthered my passion for ophthalmology and I hope that I will be able to care for my own patients at Moorfields one day!