Page 42 - Eclipse - Autumn 2021
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RVC staff volunteer during the pandemic
he COVID-19 pandemic has should contribute to the fight against appYou may remember Vaccine Stewards
affected us all in one way or COVID-19 by transferring my skills like me from when youappve been to the
another and we have all had to and becoming a vaccinator. centre yourself: volunteers run all the
Tadapt over the past 18 months, appAfter completing the NHSapps training logistics of getting patients safely and
both personally and professionally. The programme, I began vaccinating at efficiently through the centre, from
veterinary and science professions have the start of March and have been taking registration details to giving you
played a huge and important role over doing a session each weekend since your sticker (the best bit). Iappd love to
this time. In addition to this, we know then. Everyone Iappve met through say it was altruistic, but honestly shifts
many of our staff, students and alumni volunteering has been amazing and the quickly became a highlight of my week
have been out in their communities sense of everyone working together to app seeing peopleapps anxiety turn to joy and
going above and beyond to support with beat this disease is an experience thatapps relief, looking after babies and dogs,
the vaccine rollout and in many other definitely had the most positive and and all the donations of thank-you food
ways benefitting their communities with profound impact on my life.app treats in the break room!
selfless acts of kindness. appLots of the volunteers, like me, manage
Kate Oliver,
Here are just a few examples of where Outreach Development Manager events in their day jobs, so putting on
our staff have volunteered their time. the hi-vis and working with hundreds
appSince January, Iappve been spending my of the public felt like something normal
Perdi Welsh, Lecturer in Veterinary weekend mornings volunteering at one again at last.
Nursing and Course Director for of the most positive places on earth app
Graduate Diploma in Professional the COVID-19 Vaccination Centres in appVolunteering has changed a lot in
and Clinical Veterinary Nursing my local area of Hackney. the last few months: weappve gone from
appAt the start of the COVID-19 appDeep in the winter lockdown, I saw a helping vulnerable 90+ year olds who
vaccination programme, nurses, callout on Twitter for #hackneyvaxpack hadnappt left the house in a year, to more
GPs and many other healthcare volunteers, and thought it could both be recently welcoming young people
professionals were being taken away a way to feel like I was doing something who are in and out in minutes on
from their everyday work in order to useful in a time we felt so helpless their lunchbreak.
get as many people vaccinated as app and to fill the many empty days we appWeappre also becoming very short
quickly as possible. As a veterinary were faced with. staffed as volunteers have gone back
nurse, with skills in administering to their jobs and routines. If youappve
injections to animals, I felt I could and got a few hours a month to spare, itapps
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