Volunteer Successes: Impact, Testimonials, and Health Professions Journeys

Volunteer Testimonials 

"A patient with whom I worked expressed concerns around basic necessities. She was in her third trimester and was worried about getting clothing and diapers for her baby and accessing childcare once she returned to work. After connecting her to the clinic nutritionist to get an appointment to enroll in WIC, we spoke about wraparound support options that might meet her long-term needs. I referred the patient to a local nonprofit, where she was to get some maternity clothes and meet her case manager. She was excited that when the baby was born she would be able to get diapers, a crib and possibly a stroller. The patient said she felt like she had a place to get support for whatever she needed and was really grateful for the referral."

Volunteer Stories: Empowering Communities and Bridging Cultures

Being part of the Health Advocates has given me the opportunity to connect and assist families from my community. Navigating resources is always difficult as these resources might not be widely advertised, and receiving them can be lengthy and intimidating. Being a person who can connect with the family culturally and linguistically and help them receive the support they need has been a wonderful opportunity for me. I see my family in the patients I speak to, which makes the experience much more special.

During this past year, I’ve become more confident in my communication skills in both English and Spanish. At first, I felt intimidated to speak to patients about resources as I felt like I wouldn’t know what to offer them for their needs, but as time progressed, I’ve become more confident in myself and the knowledge I’ve acquired through my peers and managers. This confidence has rolled over into other parts of my life, such as school and work. I can honestly say that during my time here, I’ve been able to grow as a person, and volunteering with the Health Advocates has only reaffirmed my passion for working in a field where I fight for disparities in health care. 

During this last year, I’ve spoken with many patients and witnessed some success stories, and I've realized how important we are to these patients. We not only help them navigate resources that can be very bureaucratic at times but also act as a bridge between these organizations and the patients. Our name is very fitting in that we act as patient advocates. These patients face linguistic and cultural barriers, which we can help alleviate. Patients are always very appreciative of the work we do in the clinic. Although giving a patient an application for a MUNI pass seems insignificant, it can mean the world to a patient struggling with finding transportation to go to doctor appointments, school conferences, and work. 

- Volunteer from 2021-2023

Volunteer Stories: Personal Growth, Career Evolution, and Mentorship

I credit my current success to the experiences and opportunities I received as a Health Advocate. I originally volunteered as a Health Advocate because I was looking for experience in a health-related setting, but I ended up getting much more out of it. I could not only offer my assistance to a much-needed community, but I also developed lifelong skills.

As a volunteer, I developed networking and professional skills and received mentorship from Health Advocate managers and peers. I became a volunteer in the summer of my sophomore year. I thought I knew what I wanted to do career-wise, but that completely changed during my time in the program.  Before I started volunteering, my career goal was to become a doctor. As I got more involved with the program, I noticed that MD wasn’t my career path. I wanted to have a bigger connection with families and be able to work in health disparity-related research in Latino communities.

Through the hard work of Philip Herrera, Health Advocate manager, I was able to shadow nurses in both the 5M Women’s Clinic and 6M Children’s Clinic. This experience helped me realize that if I wanted to work in a clinical setting and be able to work in research, a nursing career would be the best path for me. I was able to connect with a nurse practitioner in 6M who is currently working on her own research project. During this shadowing session, she gave me advice on the next steps and took me with her to see what her day-to-day looks like. I loved her work and am currently pursuing this career path.

My advice to future volunteers would be to take every opportunity you get and to give it your all. You never know who’s watching and what can come from it. Finding mentorships is also very important and was one of the biggest lessons I learned from volunteering. Having someone who can guide you, give you advice, and connect you with people working in similar fields or interests can be crucial for your success. Volunteering is also a great way of finding what you’re passionate about and what your interests are. Working with communities such as the ones at ZSFG brings me back to my roots and reminds me why I’m working so hard to reach my goals.

-Volunteer from 2019-2020

Volunteer Stories: Connection through Patient Stories and Inspiring Moments

The opportunity to our patient's stories is the most valuable part of being a Health Advocate volunteer. Once you are able to make a connection with a patient and they begin to open up to you, there is nothing more rewarding. I have heard so many different stories in the past three years and have found not one family is alike. I have found that all the diversity that our patients at ZSFG bring is what makes our community so special. 

One of my inspiring moments happened during my first months as a volunteer, back in the fall of 2016. There was one morning when I was in the elevator on my way to the office, and a family on the elevator recognized me, probably by looking at my volunteer badge, and called my name. They told me they would be in the 5M clinic later that morning and they were happy they had received my email with resources and information regarding WIC and looked forward to speaking with me later. That, to me, became motivation. It showed me that our consistent hard work was all for something that there were families truly benefitting from our program. Since that time, there have been many more inspiring moments, but this very first moment is special to me since it was when I was still learning how to be a HA and was so new to the program. 

-Volunteer from 2016-2019