Hi everyone! I’m Janelle and this summer I participated in an internship at an organization called Infinity Hospice Care. Infinity Hospice Care is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing care and compassionate in-home hospice care services to patients facing life-limiting illnesses, in addition to providing medical, emotional, physical, and spiritual support to patients and their families during difficult times. My day-to-day activities include going to my patient's house/group home, sit down with them and listen to their amazing life stories. After that I go to the office and make calls to other patients for a wellness check. Then on most days I make "thinking of you" cards to send out.
My time interning at Infinity Hospice Care has benefited my future career in many ways. My dream is to become a child psychologist and be able to help children with their mental health and well-being. With that being said, sitting down with patients and socializing with them has been a big help for my future career. Communicating is vital for sitting with patients. My internship does tie into my major of study because psychologists can help people accept and cope with serious medical diagnoses, and support them as they reach their final days. And they can provide psychological support to bereaved family members after a loved one has passed on. Fortunately, there are no educational requirements for you to be successful in this internship as long as you can provide companionship and comfort to patients.
I am interested in continuing in this career path after completing my internship because as I mentioned before, psychologists can provide support to family members who have lost a loved one. Although I love interacting with providers, patients, and patient’s family members it is a bit difficult for me not to get attached to my patients. I have a soft spot for elderly people, and seeing them go would break my heart. Another option would be to work with children. As mentioned above I would like to work with children and help counsel them through the mental obstacles they are facing. I cannot stress this enough, communication is the most important skill to obtain to secure a full-time position in this field.
My advice to incoming interns is to have patience when working with patients and providers. Working in this field can be difficult and overwhelming at times but it is important to be patient with others. I would also recommend being open to new experiences because you never know what will come your way. There are many learning opportunities working in a hospice care facility.
Hey Janelle, your experience at Infinity Hospice Care sounds like it was really fun. It's inspiring to see how passionate you are about making a positive impact on people's lives during challenging times. Your dedication to listening to patients' stories and providing them with companionship and comfort is truly heartwarming. It's cool how your internship aligns with your future aspirations as a child psychologist, emphasizing the importance of communication and support in both fields. Your reflections on attachment to patients and the value of patience and open-mindedness are insightful. I wish you all the best on your journey to a meaningful career in making a difference!
This sounds like an equally challenging and rewarding internship experience, that you really put your heart into and invested in. As someone who has experienced what it is like to have a close family member need hospice care, I'm really glad that you were able to share your compassion with your patients in their time of need. I don't think anyone wants to need hospice care, and your understanding of what is important (patience, communication, compassion) conveys that you truly respected your patients when they were experiencing something really difficult. I can imagine it is hard not to get emotionally invested and attached to those you are caring for, and it is undeniably heartbreaking when those attachments are severed by a patients passing. I hope that you are able to accomplish all that you have set out to do, and I am sure your patience and perserverence will serve you well as a child psychologist.