Volunteers' Week: Harris Nageswaran's story
To mark Volunteers' Week on 1-7 June, we spoke with Harris Nageswaran, a medical student at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry and a volunteer at The Royal London Hospital.
Harris provides us with an insight into his role, what a typical day looks like, and what he enjoys the most about volunteering.
Tell us a little bit about yourself?
I'm a medical student studying at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, right around the corner from The Royal London Hospital. I've been in and around Bart's Trust Hospitals for the last few years so it only seemed right that I would end up volunteering here!
How long have you been a volunteer at The Royal London Hospital?
I've been volunteering here for the last 7 weeks, but everyone in the hospital have been so welcoming that it feels like I've been here forever! I've loved (almost) every second so far, and I hope to keep volunteering for the foreseeable future, even once term has restarted for us.
Why did you decide to become a volunteer?
As the COVID-19 pandemic progressed, it felt very weird being a student who aimed to work in the NHS but not yet qualified enough to help out more. We have a great student community at Barts and The London that's always looking to get involved when needed, and our Student President, Megan Annetts has been amazing at organising medical students where they can help across the trusts in East London (which is how I got involved). I remember thinking at the end of my first day here, that I was in the right place and I finally felt useful!
Describe what a usual day volunteering involves?
If there's one thing I've learnt, it's that there are no usual days volunteering; every day is different and about adapting to what is needed of us that day! Having said that, I've been working mainly with the great Bereavement Team here at The Royal London (shameless shout out to amazing Gillian, Tosh & Ros) to get families their loved one's property back after they've passed away. It's been a tricky role and one that I could never have seen myself doing before this, but you can tell when families come to collect these belonging that they're really grateful for the work we're doing - and that spurs us on.
What's your favourite thing about being a volunteer?
The people by far! From the volunteering team (far too many people to mention here but Marufa and Nancy have been great coordinating us) to the staff on wards, almost everyone has been welcoming. You truly feel like you're a part of bigger community, all aiming to do one thing: help people.
It's an unforgettable feeling and I hope I can be a part of this community for a long, long time!