VolunTEEN Voices: Cayli Crockett

In today's episode of VolunTEEN Voices, we share the story of Cayli Crockett, a first-year TidalHealth VolunTEEN in the 2 West cardiac telemetry unit at TidalHealth Peninsula Regional in Salisbury, Md.:

I have been in TidalHealth’s VolunTEEN Program for over a month now, spending my free time at the hospital with staff, patients and fellow volunteers. I would recommend this program to anyone my age as it is a great opportunity for teenagers to obtain knowledge, service hours, clarity and friendships.

The career I would like to obtain in the future is that of a cardiothoracic surgeon. One of the volunteer services team members, Kelly Novak, considered my areas of interest and put me in 2 West, the cardiac telemetry unit at TidalHealth Peninsula Regional. This hospital immersion opportunity has allowed me to add to my resume for colleges/medical school, as it is said that they are impressed by healthcare-interested applicants who have devoted unpaid time to a hospital environment ahead of their education.

Additionally, it has allowed me to earn service-learning hours which count towards my high school diploma, awards and cords. By the end of my summer volunteering experience, I will have over 80 hours with TidalHealth in the hospital, and over 300 in total with other organizations. This achievement will also attract colleges/medical schools to my application, and maybe even attract some scholarships.

Another reason why I would recommend this program is because of the clarity and knowledge it can provide to teenagers who wish to go into healthcare. During the VolunTEEN interview, I noticed that many of my peers knew that they wanted to be in healthcare, but were unsure of the position or what department. When volunteering at the hospital, errands are made daily for the department, and that is when you get to explore. It was made clear to all of us at orientation that if you were unsure about the career you would like, you could explore the hospital and take a look at some of the departments in which volunteers can be. If you choose to volunteer at TidalHealth next summer, you can express an interest in one of the departments you saw while exploring and be put there if allowed by staff and hospital policy. Personally, volunteering in 2 West has been a clarifying experience. I have now decided that cardiology is the specialty I would like to work in when I become a surgeon.

Finally, the reason why I would recommend this program is because of the friendships and relationships you can make while volunteering. For most of the volunteer experience, you spend time with the unit secretary. Over time, I have developed good relationships with them as I’ve spoken to them about things like our personal lives, school, my future, etcetera. Additionally, since my unit is small, I have developed good relationships with the nurses and CNAs since I run many of their errands and aid them in some aspects of patient care. I feel these relationships will last for a while, even beyond volunteering, and will give me good recommendation options for places of work if needed.

To learn more about volunteering at TidalHealth, visit our Volunteer Programs page.