Greenville Reporter

The ECU Health Volunteen Summer Program aims to instill the value of community service in students aged 15 to 17, while offering them insights into healthcare careers. Mattox Piscorik and Abigail Williford, participants at ECU Health Beaufort Hospital, shared their experiences working in a close-knit community.

Mattox Piscorik, a senior at D. H. Conley High School in Greenville, has deep family ties to healthcare. "My mom’s a nurse at ECU Health, my sister-in-law is a cardiovascular sonographer, my brother is an ECU dental school student, and my other brother is in pharmaceuticals," he said. His involvement with the Volunteens program began after his brothers participated in it. This summer at Beaufort Hospital inspired him to pursue hospital administration instead of becoming an emergency department doctor. "I fell in love right then and there with health care administration," he stated.

Piscorik valued the personal connections formed at Beaufort Hospital's smaller setting. He worked in various roles including the ambulatory surgery unit and shadowed an ED doctor. Reflecting on his experience as a patient's family member during his father's cardiac events, he emphasized compassion for families: "These families need someone to show them compassion."

Abigail Williford from Chocowinity plans to attend medical school and was motivated by her early life experiences as a NICU patient. Her interest in healthcare solidified through volunteering at Beaufort Hospital for two years. "Everyone is so nice," she remarked about her experience there.

Williford's tasks included delivering meals and flowers, working the front desk, and assisting patients throughout the hospital. She appreciated learning from patient interactions: "You might look at someone and wonder why they are so upset... You have a choice to be a light in their day."

Angelina Brittle manages volunteer services at ECU Health Beaufort Hospital and sees significant benefits for teens involved in the program: “The Volunteen program provides a meaningful opportunity for students to experience the health care environment firsthand.”

Applications for the 2025 Volunteen program open this January for positions available across several locations including ECU Health Medical Center and Beaufort Hospital.