Pavlo Zubchenko hopes to become a doctor one day, and in the meantime, he thought he would volunteer at St. Boniface Hospital to get a sense of the environment and to get to know the medical campus. The 21-year-old quickly discovered that giving back was more valuable than any professional experience he could gain.
“I’ve volunteered in a few departments now,” Zubchenko shares. “It’s busy everywhere, and honestly, every department could use an extra person. I really do feel like I’m really helping out by being here.”
His most recent role is to support patients and their loved ones in the Emergency Department, a notoriously busy and sometimes stressful environment. “I’m often the first face someone will see when they enter the waiting room,” explains Zubchenko. “I like to approach them first and ask how I can help. Some people are looking for a loved one, or want to be triaged, or some have been waiting for a long time and want to know what’s happening. I try to be the calm face in the room, to help how I can.”
Zubchenko also believes that empathy is the core value that makes a difficult experience at an emergency department a little less hard. “For the most part, anyone coming into the department is on edge,” he admits. “Maybe they have a loved one who has come in by ambulance and they’re in a rush to see them. I picture myself when people are agitated: if it were me, I wouldn’t be able to sit still, either.”
Zubchenko, who emigrated to Canada from the Ukraine 11 years ago, credits his family with his interest in the hospital. “There is a bit of family history here,” he shares. “Both my parents and my grandparents were in the medical field in the Ukraine. A lot of my family, including my grandparents, are still there. We moved before the war started and I’m a little caught between two worlds now, but life continues.”
The biological sciences student, who attends the University of Manitoba, has contributed over 190 hours since February, 2024. He’s also become a go-to person to help onboard and train new volunteers. “I think they keep giving me the university students,” Zubchenko shares with a laugh. “Coming into volunteering, I didn’t know what to expect, but I meet people of all ages wishing to do some good with their spare time.”
He was also pleasantly surprised by the acknowledgement he receives from hospital staff. “I wasn’t expecting how thankful the health care workers are,” Zubchenko continues. “All the health care aides, when they see me around, will thank me for my work, or for my help. You don’t volunteer to be thanked, but it’s really nice when it happens.”
As for his future, and the future of the hospital, they’re intertwined for the time being. “I’d love to become a doctor and work at St. B someday,” he shares. “And I’m pretty excited for the expansion of the Emergency Department. When I see the room is full and we’re trying to create space for people, I know the new department will make a difference. It’ll be really exciting when it opens, and most of all, it’s going to be so much better for patients.”