Photo courtesy of Environmental
Traveling Companions
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| Nurse
volunteers with Environmental Traveling Companions
assist people with special needs on outdoor adventures.
The organization takes individuals who are paraplegic,
visually impaired, developmentally delayed, even
economically disadvantaged on outings such as cross-country
skiing. |
As a member of the float pool at California Pacific
Medical Center in San Francisco, Susan Demars, RN, enjoys
taking care of people in a variety of settings. She
also loves the outdoors. As a volunteer for an organization
called Environmental Traveling Companions, Demars combines
the two in a meaningful way.
San Francisco-based ETC offers outdoor adventures to
people with special needs. Every year, the organization
takes more than 2,000 people-individuals who are paraplegic,
visually impaired, developmentally delayed, even economically
disadvantaged-white-water rafting, sea kayaking and
cross-country skiing.
The outings couldn't happen without volunteers, and
for Demars, it is a perfect opportunity to put her skills
to work in a different environment.
"I think it is really important to use your skills
outside of the hospital, if you can," she said.
"It broadens you to a better understanding of the
people you take care of."
Brad Coyle, RN, a surgical nurse at Marin General Hospital
for several years and an ETC volunteer for more than
10 years, said, "The volunteer experience has absolutely
made me a better nurse." Skills he has learned
or perfected on ETC trips include the ability to prioritize
tasks and a confidence in dealing with difficult situations.
"Prioritizing is a huge part of the nursing ballgame.
The ability to prioritize and think quickly is a valuable
skill I built off of what I learned with ETC."
Coyle also sees people differently thanks to his volunteering.
"Something I really learned is compassion and understanding.
It has given me more of an appreciation for someone
who just had hip surgery and is basically incapacitated.
I remember taking a quadriplegic down a Class III river.
Just watching someone who normally couldn't do this
at all, couldn't get near it, gave me a real appreciation."
An ETC volunteer off and on for 20 years, Eric Rico,
RN, works in a solo physician practice. To him, nursing
is primarily a way to support a serious volunteer habit.
"For me, volunteering is a way of life,"
Rico said. "In ETC, you learn a lot about compassion
and empathy for people who have disabilities and need
special help. You learn a lot more about patience with
people, and that comes in handy as a nurse in any setting.
ETC and nursing require a lot of the same skills. I
also learned to trust other volunteers. It makes life
easier if you can trust the people you work with."
The volunteers said that their nursing skills, although
not required, are an added bonus on ETC trips.
"The populations we bring out often do have medical
issues, and it is reassuring to know that someone with
a medical background is there," Demars said.
If this kind of volunteering sounds too much like real
work, consider what these nurses say they get from the
experience. "As a nurse, you see a lot of people
with injuries or illnesses, and you take care of them
and then send them home," Demars said. "Through
the volunteer work, you see them in their lives. You
see how people deal with things outside a hospital,
and you get to know them on a more personal level. You
get to sit around the campfire with them."
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