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COPE Health Scholar Program 

Position:  Health Scholar (2022-2023); Patient Experience Ambassador (2022)

Floors shifted on: General Medical; Nephrology/Urology/Organ Transplant; Labor and Delivery/Antepartum; Pediatrics; NICU; Gynecology/Surgery at Swedish Hospital - First Hill Campus

Total hours volunteered: 317.58 (as of 6/22/23)  

What is a Health Scholar? 
 

A Health Scholar is a trained volunteer who assists nurses, doctors, and other staff. 

Some tasks I frequently complete as a health scholar: 

  • Recording vital signs (blood pressure, oxygen saturation, pulse, respiratory rate, etc.) 

  • Feeding, ambulating, positioning, changing, and bathing patients 

  • Provided cuddle care to dozens of babies 

  • Making unoccupied and occupied beds 

  • Answering call lights and helping nurses with their patients 

  • Cleaning and restocking equipment 

Some fascinating experiences I have had: 

  • Cleaned and prepared a dead body for the morgue 

  • Watched a live birth and a placenta delivery 

  • Witnessed a doctor insert a central line (dialysis tube) into the subclavian vein, using an ultrasound 

  • Helped a wound nurse treat a patient who had a pressure wound (bed sore)

  • Seen colostomy bags, blood transfusions, bladder scans, blood blisters, dialysis machines, and more

This is an official UW Honors experiential learning activity.

What is that? 

I am in the UW honors program, which requires students to complete two experiential learning activities within the following areas: international engagement, service, research, and leadership, with the goal of enriching the undergraduate experience through learning, community engagement, and exploration of the world. I have applied for this extracurricular to be one of my activities. 

What are the requirements? 

I must share my original application, an artifact, and a final reflection about the activity, all of which I have included on this webpage. 


 

Comment from my supervisor about my application: 

On the administrative side as a Department Coordinator, I have witnessed Angelyiah's consistency in shifting, punctuality, and communication to ensure that her contributions to the program are significant and meaningful. In doing my regular rounds on the floor and speaking to department staff, including the health unit coordinator and charge nurse, I am regularly reminded of Angelyiah's commitment to healthcare and patient care - the staff always have glowing comments regarding her participation on the floor. I wholeheartedly approve Angelyiah's application and look forward to seeing her continue her participation on the floor.

- Tammy Nguyen 

Original Application 

Artifacts 

Artifacts are multimodal, tangible pieces of evidence that represent some aspect of my learning and mark moments and experiences that I have (UW Honors Website). The artifacts I will display for this experiential learning activity are my journal entries of each volunteer shift and photos that the staff took of me. 

Read about my experiences at the hospital on my blog.

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