I just completed my second week of field practice. I have a very dedicated field instructor who keeps me at her side for the 5 hours I spend at her agency four days out of the week. She is making certain that I get a valuable experience.
I kidded her yesterday about how lucky she is to have me after we each performed, two, back-to-back biopsychosocial assessments. It really made me feel good to hear her speak about how draining it was for her, because, as they were my first two ever, I felt wiped out.
One of the clients asked me if I was a psychiatrist!
So far, in two weeks, I have seen and done more than I thought possible. My field instructor is one busy woman! Although I joked with her about how lucky she is to have me help her carry the load, what I know is that I am an addition to her workload. Because she has offerred to help me and my university with this field experience, she has more work to do.
So, I'd like to give a big "shout out" to all of you field instructors out there who give of yourselves so students like me can learn how to become social workers. My gratitude cup runneth over.
--Ms. T. J.
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The New Social Worker is the quarterly magazine for social work students and recent graduates, focusing on social work careers for those new to the profession. This blog is a companion to the free online magazine at http://www.socialworker.com.
Would you believe that when I was in graduate school (late 70's) it was a social history? Then we somehow got it up to psycho-social history. And now, well, finally. Biology.
ReplyDeleteTJ, it's great that you are developing a great relationship with your field instructor. And she IS lucky to have a student who appreciates her and her role. Keep us posted!
ReplyDeleteHi TJ,
ReplyDeleteI just subscribed to this forum and I'm glad I did. I am an MSW intern in the Columba SC area from USC. I too am haveing the same good experiences you described. I have a great supervisor and I work at a great mental health hospital. I am in my final semester at USC and am looking forward to working with the Vets at the VA when I graduate.