Page 42 - Eclipse - Autumn 2021

RVC staff volunteer during the pandemic

he COVID-19 pandemic has should contribute to the fight against 鈥淵ou may remember Vaccine Stewards
affected us all in one way or COVID-19 by transferring my skills like me from when you鈥檝e been to the
another and we have all had to and聽becoming a vaccinator. centre yourself: volunteers run all the
Tadapt over the past 18 months, 鈥淎fter completing the NHS鈥檚 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). I鈥檇 love to
this time. In addition to this, we know then.聽Everyone I鈥檝e 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 鈥� seeing people鈥檚 anxiety turn to joy and
going above and beyond to support with beat this disease is an experience that鈥檚 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.鈥� treats in the break room!
selfless acts of kindness. 鈥淟ots 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
鈥淪ince January, I鈥檝e 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 鈥�
Graduate Diploma in Professional the COVID-19 Vaccination Centres in 鈥淰olunteering has changed a lot in
and Clinical Veterinary Nursing my local area of Hackney. the last few months: we鈥檝e gone from
鈥淎t the start of the COVID-19 鈥淒eep in the winter lockdown, I saw a helping vulnerable 90+ year olds who
vaccination programme, nurses, callout on Twitter for #hackneyvaxpack hadn鈥檛 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聽lunchbreak.
get as many people vaccinated as 鈥� and to fill the many empty days we 鈥淲e鈥檙e also becoming very short
quickly as possible. As a veterinary were聽faced with. staffed as volunteers have gone back
nurse, with skills in administering to their jobs and routines. If you鈥檝e
injections to animals, I felt I could and got a few hours a month to spare, it鈥檚

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