Karem Hashem '22, Olivia McAllister-Nevins '22, and Karissa Wadia '23 participated in the 10-month program this past year and summarized their experience in their final presentation, “Emergency Department Patient Experience During the Covid Pandemic.” 

They provided great insight into why ER wait times are so long and the most common reasons for delays. The students also offered suggestions on how to improve the patient experience in our emergency departments. 

Some suggestions included improving the transportation process once patients are discharged, managing follow-up appointments through event-sharing apps, and providing tech support training for volunteers in the hospital. 

In addition to the volunteer experience, the students heard several lectures from Emergency Medicine Faculty on different healthcare topics including toxicology, first aid skills, life as a pediatric emergency medicine physician, and the path to becoming a doctor. They also attended a lecture from WCM second-year medical student and Dalton alumnus Jeremy Orloff '09.   

“We are so proud of Olivia, Karissa, and Karem for their hard work, dedication, compassion, and professionalism during this past year,” remarked Professor and Chairman Department of Emergency Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine Dr. Rahul Sharma. “I have no doubt that our faculty, staff, and, most importantly, our patients truly appreciated them. We hope this program gave them a unique opportunity to learn how a large medical center operates through direct interaction with healthcare staff and patients.”

Dr. Sharma concluded, “As Emergency Department volunteers, they played an important role within the Department by providing access to information, escorting patients and visitors, and assisting in coordinating patient visits from family and friends, while expanding their own knowledge of an Emergency Department environment.”