I've worked as a volunteer for two hospice organizations. One was general hospice (I'll just refer to this position as plain ol' hospice from here on), the other was specifically AIDS hospice. Both organizations stood out in the same way...they both had extensive training programs before placing workers with patients.
Hospice training was intense. It was conducted over the course of two weeks, about 24 hours total. We met and listened to hospice supervisors, hospice workers, patients, and doctors. We got to ask questions of patients who were in the terminal stages of their disease, and we got to ask questions of doctors who deal with terminal illnesses often. We attended a seminar on different cultural and religious approaches to bereavement. We laughed, we sang, we cried. Most importantly, we were better prepared.
My training for AIDS hospice was similar, altho less intensive. It lasted a weekend, about 12 hours total. We learned about the disease, we learned about what it means to live with the disease. We were trained not only by workers, but by some workers who were living with the disease themselves.
In both hospices, I learned much. I worked with all sorts of patients, some who were parents, some who were completely alone in the world. I made some good friends, most of whom are gone now. I got to see firsthand how hard it is for a mother of twin 7 year old girls to prepare her family for her passing. I went above and beyond for her (and broke a rule or two in the process)...I did so much research at my local University about her condition, I think I spent about 50 dollars in printing fees that weekend. She eventually succumbed to her illness. It was all part of my learning process...learning what it means to let go. It's not easy, but it can be good. I guess that might be sort of hard to understand unless you've been there, what 'good death' means.
I think what Dienekes said is probably pretty right on. Most pre-meds are young and all they know is that they want to be the smartest and the best. Most, not all, but most of them haven't yet reached the point where they're able to comprehend what it means to truly care, to be there for someone to the last moments. And as thedelicatessan so accurately stated, death is not the easiest subject to immerse yourself in. It is a heaviness, most definitely.
I've done a lot of volunteering in my life, quite a bit. But I can honestly say that my hospice experiences were some of the most meaningful and educational. Volunteering in hospice, as well as in geriatric care, can be invaluable rites of passage. And like Azadi said, you learn how to just be there for someone. Sometimes that's all that's needed, just someone to be there.
