Students of Ternopil State Medical University worked at regional hospice

For two and a half months, students Ternopil State Medical University had been carrying out a volunteering mission in Ternopil Regional Hospice.  Oksana Kushneryk, third-year student of the Faculty of medicine served as a coordinator of this long-term charitable project.

In the hospice, the doctors-in-training assisted its medical staff in caring for patients. They fed the patients, talked to and the elderly, looked after them, and overall tried to get involved in all hospice procedures. Our students found quick rapport with hospital staff, and, in turn, they always welcomed the young people.

The volunteer team included Antonina Krukovets, Victoriia Hordii, Anastasiia Kosenko, Daria Kalenska, Kateryna Bihuniak, Natalia Petrova, Sofiia Haschak, Marta Vitenko, Olgga Ivanytska, Iryna Demakh, Vita Kosovska, Uliana Saturska, Yulia Valihura, Pavlo Levchuk, Ilona Novakivska , Yana Trihub, and Dariia Scherbyna.

The students now took a short break from working in the hospice, to have more time to prepare for their mid-terms, but plan to return to their mission in the next academic semester.

“Emotionally, it’s not easy, especially when we came there and saw everything with our own eyes. But it had gotten much better when we saw that the parents are grateful for our help. We are bringing some diversion to their lives. I hope that we have been able to give them what they lack the most, communication.

We are impressed with the work ethic and huge hearts of the staff working in the hospice. They are in a difficult emotional environment every day, but there are always kind smiles on their faces. We are awed with the courage and compassion of these people. They are really strong. Coordinating this volunteering project, I got assistance from the senior nurse Oksana Mykhailivna, whom I would like to thank for her support. We plan to resume volunteering again after the mid-terms. We appreciate that we can make a small contribution to improving the quality of life of these people, “- said Oksana Kushneryk.