Personal Experience: My First Day As A Social Worker

My first day as an intern, I proudly admit I was nervous. First, I had no idea where I was going who my supervisor was, all I knew is I was meeting a guy named Mike by the flag pole on the WSH campus at 830 a.m. Secondly, I had no idea where to park, therefore I did the most logical thing, which was to park the farthest away, not to take anyone’s spot. I would later regret that decision, when it decided to rain. After I parked I got a text from Mike telling me that he would be out to meet me in a minute. Thirty minutes later, I am still standing by this flag pole and I am starting to feel that they forgot about me, plus people started to notice that I was just standing there and some even asked me if I needed assistance, which was awkward and

I must say it was very overwhelming, and I couldn’t possibly remember every place we went to, however I do remember the conversations that Mike and I had. Mike expressed his own philosophy towards helping people to include his role as a social worker and why he chose to become a social worker. We talked about school and the importance of self-care, which had become a major theme of my experience at WSH thus far. The tour ended at our offices and Mike and I sat down and talked about what the role of the discharge team is and what my role would be. We also talked about my schedule, which I stated that I would be available on Monday’s, Wednesday’s and Friday’s, thus has been my schedule since. I have since completed two weeks at WSH, learning a lot, and shadowing Mike while I get a feel for what is involved in discharging a patient from

For this to transpire I know I need to play a very active role in my learning, thus as I prepare my learning plan I will consult with Mike on how I will be able to accomplish each of the competencies I am being evaluated on. Additionally, I must identify some of my strengths and weaknesses. My prior experience as a domestic violence counselor assistant had given me skills in interviewing and assessment, as well, as, group therapy. However, the patients at WSH are not voluntarily coming to see me and are also severely mentally ill, which is a weakness. Even though I stated this new challenge for me as a weakness I still possess the skills and knowledge to adapt and overcome, by simply asking questions and asking for help. I don’t foresee any issues at this time, because I believe the team I am working with is extremely knowledgeable and truly care about the patients at WSH. Furthermore, the cohesiveness of the team is excellent and I fit right in, I get the sense that we have similar personalities in which, we are assertive, team players, and have a passion for helping people. The skills I learned in the Army will help me with time management, which is key to not only keeping up with my internship responsibilities but also my responsibilities to my other