Volunteer Gives Back
Shelby Hall started volunteering at Wildflower Healthcare in the fall of 2015. She had recently graduated from college and was starting her gap year. She volunteered into the spring of 2016 and then accepted a paid position with Wildflower as the dental coordinator. That August, she left to start her masters degree, inspired by her experience in a way that would change her life's trajectory.
"While volunteering, I was drawn to the patient interactions," she explains, "seeing how even minor procedures meant so much to the patients. Most patients that I had interactions with were so grateful for the care that was provided by the doctors and staff.
"I still have an interaction with a patient that became a driving force to continue towards my dream of being a dentist. I was assisting one day during volunteering, and a noticeably nervous patient was next in the chair; he needed an extraction. To the best of my abilities, I tried talking him through the procedure. When the doctor came in he asked to hold my hand throughout the procedure. When everything was done, he was so grateful that I held his hand and helped him through it. A couple days later that patient brought back a thank you card, which I still have."
So after volunteering and then working as a non-clinical staffer at Wildflower, Dr. Hall went to dental school and now volunteers with us as a dental provider! "Being able to volunteer as a dentist in a place where I once shadowed other dentists like Dr. Baker, Dr. Versaggi, and Dr. Lee--and dreamed about providing care to patients like they did--is surreal for me." Dr. Hall states. "It feels like a full circle moment being on the other side. I love being able to use the skills I have acquired to help take a patient out of pain or even put a smile on their face."
When asked what advice she would give to others about pursuing their goals, she says: "As cliche as it sounds, keep pursuing your dreams if you feel you have a calling for something, and work hard for it. I didn’t get into dental school on the first attempt, and it helped me obtain other skills and grow into a better provider. Which, in the end, makes me grateful that I was given other challenges."
