A. is a volunteer vaccinator in Lewisham.
I always feel that I belong to the medical field, and it was my only lucky chance to be there at the moment safely from Covid. I want to help the community and NHS in this hard time to stay safe with the pandemic. I want just to gain a new experience in dealing with different community layers with different age groups. As a doctor from abroad (Syria), definitely there is no other chance to do that, rather than the vaccine which is for everybody.
Will the community feel about my small effect and see the result in the future? Of course there is thousands of people doing the same, and I hope that I have done well like them and helped the world. Am I doing the vaccination in a good way? Or shall I improve my communication skills just to let patients feel more comfortable and happy coming to their vaccine? So this idea always pushes me to deal with people more gently.
What has surprised me? The number of people coming for months now just to help for free. They spend a whole day and feel tired just for one reason, which is make their city safe and live with delight. That is really a very nice job. I was surprised how elderly people are careful about their life and everybody knows his medications and his health situation and explains every medical detail in his life very obviously.
I will always remember the nice staff I worked with. The nice atmosphere in the centre. The funny competitions between vaccinators to grab more patients to their rooms😂. The nice stories we were chatting with admins while working. I think I will remember every moment there, as a first job for me in the NHS and in the UK in general.