TEENS FIND HOSPITAL WORK REWARDING

Dustin Easton, a junior volunteer, logged a package to be shipped at St. Francis Medical Center.

While many 14-year-olds are spending their summer playing video games, swimming or biking, Dustin Easton delivers packages, checks inventories and puts information into a computer.

He isn't paid a dime for his hard work. Instead, his reward is knowing he is helping others.

Dustin, 14, has spent more than 100 hours this summer working in St. Francis Medical Center's junior volunteer program. He is among about 40 teen-agers at St. Francis and 58 at Southeast Missouri Hospital who took time out from usual summer activities to work as junior volunteers.

The programs allow teens to learn what it is like to work in a medical setting, learn responsibility and commitment, and for some volunteers develop an interest in a health-care career. There is also the gratifying feeling people get from helping out, said Charlotte Sargent, director of volunteer services at Southeast Missouri Hospital and the junior volunteer program there.

"It's been a good experience," Dustin said. "I'll probably come back next summer."

Dustin works in St. Francis' purchasing and bulk storage department. He helps send out and check in United Parcel Service shipments, makes deliveries around the hospital, types information into a computer and generally pitches in whenever he can.

"I learned a lot about responsibility," said Dustin. "If you do what you can do and keep a good attitude, it can pay off for you."

He also learned to better appreciate the job his father does. His dad, David Easton, is a purchasing technician at St. Francis Medical Center. Many St. Francis employees have children in the junior volunteer program, but few have children working in their department.

Dustin said his dad's job is much more complicated than it seems. "It's not just getting a package and delivering it. There are a lot of steps involved," Dustin said.

"It's been great for Dustin and for us," said David Easton. "He learned to work in a professional setting, and he really helped out."

"This is such a valuable training tool," said Pat Miller, volunteer services manager at St. Francis. She runs the junior volunteer program with assistant volunteer services manager Nancy Beckett.

The volunteer positions are treated like a job, Sargent said. Teens sign up for specific hours and days per week and are expected to show up on time. "It teaches them about commitment," Sargent said. Plus there are the feelings of giving that you get from volunteering, she said.

"It teaches them to do for others. They can see what others need," Miller said.

There are also benefits for those interested in a career in health care. The volunteer program offers good experience, looks good on a resume and can sometimes help get scholarships, Sargent said.

Those are some of the reasons Mike Sirimaturos, a 17-year-old senior at Notre Dame High School, has continued to volunteer every summer. This is his fourth year with the Southeast Missouri Hospital junior volunteer program. Mike's experiences in the pharmacy department led him to consider a career as a pharmacist.

"It's helped me know what I want to do as a career, it's given me some experience and it's fun to work here," said Sirimaturos, who works three hours per week as a junior volunteer in addition to a job at Fazoli's.

His volunteer job is giving him a good idea of what it takes to work in a pharmacy. He finds medications, helps fill prescriptions, files papers and goes on rounds to deliver medications.

He said he has been checking out pharmacy schools and hopes his experience and volunteer work can help him get admitted and get scholarships.

Chris Sirimaturos, Mike's mother, encouraged him to volunteer. "I think it's important because colleges look at volunteer service," she said. "But volunteering also teaches him that it's good to give back."

Chris Sirimaturos works at Southeast, but she usually works at night. This often made it a challenge to get Mike to his volunteer job before he was able to drive. But for what he has learned, it has been worth it, his mother said.

The junior volunteer programs have sign-ups in the spring. There are applications to fill out and interviews. Participants are asked about their area of interest.

Each hospital has 20 to 25 areas where junior volunteers work. Some common to both hospitals are pharmacy, physical therapy, admitting and discharge, radiology, purchasing and pediatrics.

"Some volunteers are interested in a certain area, especially those who are considering a career in the health field," Sargent said. "Others discover an interest once they've been assigned to a certain area."

Some want to work directly with patients, such as in pediatrics and cancer care, Miller said. Others want less patient contact, and they can be placed in purchasing or an office setting.

Volunteers are trained and supervised by hospital employees to ensure safety for both the volunteer and the patients. Junior volunteers help with such jobs as transporting patients, helping at the nursing station, filing paperwork, delivering packages, filling trays and passing out water.

Miller said the hospital staff looks forward to the program each year. "They appreciate what these volunteers do," Miller said.

Most junior volunteers average working three to six hours per week.

Then there are teens like Dustin Easton, who won an award this summer for new junior volunteer at St. Francis with the most volunteer hours. Jenny Adams was the returning volunteer with the most hours.

"Dustin is a very conscientious young man," said Rodney Miller, a purchasing technician in the department where Dustin works. "We found we could always depend on him."

For instance, the department's computer went down on a recent evening, and Dustin worked late into the night helping reinventory.

"Sometimes my friends will ask why I work so much when I'm not getting paid," Dustin said. "I tell them I just want to help."