My supervisor had warned me that today’s patient suffered from jaundice, but I had not prepared myself properly for the fragile little yellow woman that lay before me. As we proceed into the room, my face immediately cringes in reaction to the permeating smell.
Finally, we arrive at door 355, adorned with a nametag bearing the client’s name. Following closely behind my field supervisor, I study each room number carefully while trying to unsuspectingly peer into every doorway. Depressing thoughts begin to bombard my mind, such as, What am I supposed to do with these lifeless people? I begin to panic, thinking I have made a terrible internship choice, a decision I will regret for the upcoming nine months. I pass a group of women reclined in customized wheelchairs gathered around a noisy television airing Oprah, on a channel no doubt chosen by the staff, and I wonder how I ever thought I would find inspiration in hospice care.
The sounds of the nursing home, from the incessant ringing of telephones to the individual cries of patients, reverberate off the pastel pink walls and bury themselves in my ears. By way of introduction, this intern is having her first client encounter in her very first week in a hospice setting.Īs I walk through the hallway, my vision becomes saturated with a wide variety of lifeless gray-haired elderly sitting in wheelchairs, lying in beds, or ever-so-cautiously pushing themselves down the hallways. The shared introspection mixed with a panoramic view of the encounter enables revealing insights for the intern and the reader. Anecdotal review of written logs suggests that students who choose to journal a more holistic examination of themselves and their practice can potentially improve self-evaluation and expand their person/environment insights.Īn example of one refreshing journalistic approach and style is provided in the following internship encounter for a BSW student. Students’ writing styles, abilities, and motivations will inevitably vary, as well as their understandings of the potential value of the logging assignment for learning purposes. Although logs serve a purpose of providing accountability, more importantly, they are a reflective and analytical exercise intended to review the practice experience and promote the integration of academic learning. One of the traditional means by which students are expected to self evaluate and analyze their internship performance is through weekly written logs of their activities. As social work educators, we have designed an integrated field education experience that seeks to reinforce these principles.
#Reflections social work journal professional#
They are challenged to suspend personal values, hold emotions in check, and incorporate critical thinking as a hallmark of professional practice. Students entering field education are faced with a myriad of ambiguous feelings and preconceptions.
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