I have the foundation from my BSW to understand the expectations as a student. I will grow to work independently and have my own patients in a few short weeks. I will develop the skills learned through my observations to properly work with patients. I learned through my field instructor that each of our patients are culturally different. Not one of their situations is similar and we have to keep that in mind when meeting them. Angie worked very well in looking at patient’s needs but never comparing their situation to others. By working with such a diverse population, I will become more aware of cultural diversity. I have a basic understanding of the idea, but after meeting with patients I will learn to be more competent when working with diverse patients. One area that I know will be a challenge for me is communication. I am not one to always use my voice and speak up for myself but throughout my BSW field experience and being in the field now I have grown in being more outspoken. This is a skill I struggle with every day, not just in my social work role. I am confident that I will overcome this challenge as I grow into a social …show more content…
Bernards, I will be working with a very vulnerable population. As I observed Angie, she upheld the social work ethics. With knowing the core values of the social work profession it was evident to see how I will be incorporating those values into practice. There was a patient who needed assistance in getting to and from his cancer treatments. Angie had been working with him and given him around $150 in gas gift cards previous. The patient has been continuing to ask for assistance with gas money, but each patient cannot receive that much assistance. This patient is eligible to ride the Arkansas Medicaid transportation system but has denied in the past due to a personal issue. Angie discussed with him that she will no longer be able to give his gas cards and he must find another way for transportation, such as the Medicaid van. Angie used ethics in this situation to make her decision. She is providing services to multiple individuals not just this patient. I believe she made the right choice due to the circumstances and need to help others.
Supervision:
Supervision played an important part in my first week of field. My supervisor informed me of policies and procedures of the agency, her role as a cancer navigator, and the basics of oncology social work. We discussed various techniques of meeting with patients and documenting skills. I observed Angie very closely when given instruction to start preparing myself mentally for when I work with patients