Page 42 - Eclipse - Autumn 2021

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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   ֱYou may remember Vaccine Stewards
               affected us all in one way or   COVID-19 by transferring my skills   like me from when youֱve 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,     ֱAfter completing the NHSֱs 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). Iֱd love to
        this time. In addition to this, we know   then. Everyone Iֱve 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   ֱ seeing peopleֱs anxiety turn to joy and
        going above and beyond to support with   beat this disease is an experience thatֱs   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.ֱ  treats in the break room!
        selfless acts of kindness.                                              ֱLots 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
                                            ֱSince January, Iֱve 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 ֱ
        Graduate Diploma in Professional    the COVID-19 Vaccination Centres in   ֱVolunteering has changed a lot in
        and Clinical Veterinary Nursing     my local area of Hackney.           the last few months: weֱve gone from
        ֱAt the start of the COVID-19       ֱDeep in the winter lockdown, I saw a   helping vulnerable 90+ year olds who
        vaccination programme, nurses,      callout on Twitter for #hackneyvaxpack   hadnֱt 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    ֱ and to fill the many empty days we   ֱWeֱre 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 youֱve
        injections to animals, I felt I could and                               got a few hours a month to spare, itֱs


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