Rebecca McGehee

Corbett

AP Lit

9 April 2012

Have you ever had a loved one who needed a blood donation in order to survive? What if

there was no blood to save his life?I chose to do a blood drive for my senior project.I have

always been interested in all aspects of medicine and nursing. Even as a small child I said I

wanted to be a doctor when I grew up. The medical field fascinates me and I believe it is my

purpose in life to help people while doing what I love. In the summer of 2009 I was selected to

attend the National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine. This program was a nine day camp at

Emory University for high school students interested in entering the medical field in the future.

During the program I had the honor of being present in an operating room for a brain surgery at

Piedmont Hospital. The surgeon removed a tumor and I was able to see the tumor and the brain

up close. After attending the camp I was determined to be able to have experiences similar to that

for the rest of my life no matter the amount of schooling it would take.

My project facilitator that I thoroughly enjoyed working with was Sandy Buffington. Sandy

is the Donor Recruitment Representative for the American Red Cross. When I was looking for a

facilitator I wanted to find someone who had experience with blood drives and would really be

able to help make my project a success. I contacted the Red Cross about organizing a blood drive

and found out that Sandy was the representative for my area.With my facilitator’s work schedule

and my schedule we were not able to meet during the week, so, during the week we would

communicate through e-mails. When Sandy had to do a site inspection to confirm that the

location was of adequate size, we met on a Sunday afternoon which was the most convenient

time for both of us.

Once I had contacted Sandy and she agreed to work with me we had to determine the date,

time and location for the blood drive. I decided on Mt. Gilead United Methodist Church in

Woodstock for the location and Sandy told me the available dates. Considering the due dates,

prom weekend, and spring break I decided the best day would be March 31, 2012. I also had to

consider who might sign up and their schedules to choose the time frame. I thought the best

would be 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. As soon as I knew the details I started advertising so I could get

appointments set up. In order to host a blood drive I was in charge of setting up fifty

appointments before the blood drive could officially be booked. Within only a few days I got 52

appointments and the drive was booked. Even though I got the appointments I needed, that was

one of the most difficult parts. I had to communicate to everyone wanting to sign up what the

available time slots were and they had to decide in order for their name to be put on the schedule.

On March 30, the day before the drive, I was responsible for contacting the donors who

signed up and reminding them of their appointment times and what they needed for that day. The

day of the blood drive some volunteers, the Red Cross workers, and I arrived at the church at

8:30am to begin setting up. Many chairs and tables that were already in the church had to be

moved around and the Red Cross’s equipment was put up in the appropriate areas. When donors

started arriving I signed them in through a computer system and on a sign in sheet. I also had to

give them a name tag, an information booklet, and a bottle of water. Once they were signed in

and had read over the information they were sent into screening where they were asked a variety

of questions before donating. Following screening, they were directed to the room where the

donating station was. Finally, when the donors were done giving they went to the canteen for

drinks and snacks in order to get re-hydrated. After the completion of the blood drive I received a

list of the donors’ names and addresses so I was able to send them thank you cards to fully show

my appreciation. Also, I put together a scrapbook to display the entire process of the blood drive.

Even though the blood drive was a success, there were a few obstacles along the way. When

I first decided to do a blood drive for my senior project, I spoke with Mr. Peacock about

organizing one of the blood drives we do at school. I planned on doing that and then came to find

out that the blood drive I was going to organize was scheduled for after senior boards. After

finding that out I contacted the Red Cross to organize a blood drive on my own.Since I had to

quickly come up with a new plan for a blood drive I had little time to find a location. I decided to

host it at my dad’s church in Woodstock. The church did not have much space for an event like

this, but the Red Cross and I made the location work and came up with a plan for placement of

all of the needed equipment.

Through the challenges and the experience as a whole I discovered the importance of

obtaining certain skills and overcoming negative work habits. I have always been a major

procrastinator and probably should have started on the whole senior project process earlier.

However, I now realize that getting stuff done ahead of time makes everything easier and less

stressful. This project has also made me realize how important organization skills are. I had to

organize appointments for donors and keep track of all of their information prior to the blood

drive. On the day of the blood drive I had to help organize a sign in table, donor screenings, the

donating area, and the canteen area. At the sign in table I had sign in sheets, name tags and

information booklets that are FDA mandated that each donor read prior to screening and

donating. In order to make sure every donor got the correct information and signed in properly I

had to stay very organized.Organizing a blood drive was a great opportunity to work on

communication skills. During the process of getting the blood drive together I had to constantly

be communicating with the Red Cross representative through e-mails and phone calls. Also, I

had to successfully communicate all information to the donors signing up to give blood.

The career I am interested in is nursing. More specifically, I am looking into becoming a

Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA). For education I am going to attend Kennesaw State University and

major in pre-nursing. Following completing my core classes I hope to enter the nursing program

at Kennesaw. I aspire to get my RN degree and then proceed to get my BSN. From there I would

enter Nurse Anesthetist School to finally become a CRNA. Thank you for letting me share my

experience with you. Are there any questions?