When it came to envisioning my advanced block placement, I knew I wanted something different, something to transform the way I practiced social work for the last fourteen years. The timing ideal as my passion for palliative and hospice care social work was in transition. I seized the opportunity in preserving it by securing an international internship where I could research the cultural differences in the quality of both the tangible and intangible deliverables in providing compassionate end-of-life care. The destination, Nepal!
Knowing I was traveling to an underdeveloped nation, I did my homework, or did I? I partnered with an ancillary community college who I thought focused on expanding the development of social work as a discipline in Nepal and were teaching BSW students to become nearly the first truly ‘educated’ social work practitioners in the country, which excited me. Disappointingly, the system lacked structure and organization.
My trip started off tumultuously, as did my relationship with my host, consequentially who lacked hospitality among other qualities, leaving me to discover the copious cultural dichotomies and challenges around every corner, alone, daunted by the lack of local support. Thankfully my Seminar Instructor, Wanda Anderson, LICSW and my classmates supported me through the pit falls every step of the way!!! Learning that the Nepalese culture and its diverse issues, for example, the concept of time management, which is idle, punctuality
During the 1960s, social work was still in progress in America. Many employees of social work were sent to graduate school of social work to get a master’s degree. This meant that social work was developing and it was being recognised as a real profession and that gave social workers a chance and opportunity to shows their skills. 1960s was a decade of Civil rights for African Americans as Martin Luther King Jr accompanied by Rosa Parks fought for the ‘institutionalised and ingrained prejudice and won the 1965 civil rights act’ (Dulmus & Sowers, p.27). These famous
When working in a field of expertise the experts in that area need to know what defines that field. Social work, with its roots over a hundred years old, started out simply offering assistance to others, has grown and changed, and is currently reconnecting with its roots (Bisman, 2004). Bisman (2004) emphasizes the importance of being an advocate of justice and keeping the field focused on the “social” part of social work. This push to keep social work focused on the needs of others defines social work today. Social work focuses on providing aide to the needy and increasing awareness of those that are oppressed.
Each day as a Hospice Nurse I touch lives. I cannot imagine a job more suitable for me. Each work day I make a difference in someone’s life. No one can die for us, but we don’t have to die alone; and, that is why I became a hospice nurse. Every day is different, presents new challenges, and always touches my heart. It’s beautiful when talent, and passion come together to make a difference.
Prior to being in graduate school I was not fully aware of all the opportunities and experiences in social work. I have since gained more knowledge of macro level opportunities in the field of social work, such as advocating for human rights, and social justice. I have also been presented with the chance to tackle tough policies that directly impacts clients that I have interacted with through my experience in social work. I plan to continue to identify weakness in various systems to promote social justice, and learn more ways to change social institutions to be more humane and
Before beginning the Master of Social Work program at Laurier I figured I had a strong understanding of what social work was. However, I quickly learned that I had only scratched the surface. I knew oppression existed, but I never understood the depth of it. I now know that I was afraid of it. It was easy for me to stay silent, because it was such a comfortable position to be in. Doing nothing meant I had nothing to lose and everything to gain. This was influenced by the privilege I had.
Gray, M., & Fook, J. (2004). The quest for a universal social work: Some issues and implications. Social Work Education, 23(5), 625-644.
Although not all social workers working in the field associate themselves as actively participating in international social work, many agencies nationally become involved with international issues. (Hugman, Moosa-Mitha, Moyo, 2010. P. 630). Claims, “All of us have, in different ways, become international social workers: we are all migrants, we all practice, teach and/or research in more than one country; we all address international issues in our work as we presume that global issues are increasingly local.”
Social Work is a career that you can make a significant impact on people’s lives. Social work is a spectacular career choice. However, working in this profession as a social work it can and will be challenges that will occur. A social worker enhances the welfare of communities, individuals and societies. Furthermore, social work aims to aid social change, development, cohesion, and empowerment. I had the pleasure of interviewing Latosha McIntyre about her work duties as a social worker with Day Spring Behavior Health Service. Day Spring Behavior Health Service is a non-profit- organization that offers a variety of behavioral health services to individuals and families. This paper will enclose Latosha McIntyre job activities, professional
Throughout my 4 years at Texas Women’s University, my passion for the healthcare industry has grown. During my academic years of study, I developed a great interest in pursuing a career in the healthcare industry; specifically, in the area of physician’s assistant. The possibility of being able to delve into that industry as a physician’s assistant became more and more propitious as I continued my education. Being the daughter of immigrant parents who started a new life in the United States, I was given a great opportunity to further my education, which my parents, regrettably were not afforded due to the persecutions they endured as members of the Baha’i faith. Being denied their right to further their education solely due to their religion, forced them to move thousands of miles away. They left everything behind to give my sister and I a chance to become accomplished and successful in society without going through so much viciousness and violence. Watching them painfully endeavor to learn a new language, find jobs in a country where they felt isolated, and struggle to perform simple everyday tasks like paying the bills, I learned how to work hard. I learned that life is often unfair and in order to be successful, I must use my determination to push through obstacles in order to reach the level of success that I seek. As Mike Gafka once said, “To be successful you must accept all challenges that come your way. You can’t just accept the ones that you like”.
After I graduated from the University of California Santa Barbara I was unsure what my next step would be. Of course I was anxious since I did not have experience working nor did I excel in my undergrad studies however, I knew I needed to use my newly earned degree in a positive way. Fast forward, after working for two years, I have gained the skills, knowledge and values from my work experiences that have confirmed my desire to advance my education in the social work field. I currently have my own case load of clients as a case manager at a level 12 group home but it’s time to take the next step forward. I want to ultimately advance social justice and provide services to assist individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities.
The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) is a national association of educational programs and individuals that confirms and improves the quality of social work education to become a professional job. CSWE puts in a countless amount of effort to strive for this mission by setting up a bachelor's and master’s degree programs in social work. On the other hand, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is the largest membership organization of professional social workers in the world, with approximately 132,000 members. To be more specific, NASW has a determination to intensify the maturity and developmental process of its members. The main goal is to retain professional standards and to create fair social policies. NASW progresses
My passion for working in health care stems from my desire for trying to create a positive impact and difference in someone’s life. Who does this more in the health field than nurses? I have had the opportunity to work as an EMT, a Personal Care Assistant, and as a Nurse Assistant. In these roles, I would always witness nurses leading and being the first to create a relationship with a patient. Creating a relationship with a patient is what I enjoy immensely about working in medicine. When I would work as an EMT I would always try to create some kind of rapport with the patient to help them feel more at ease and to show them their concerns matter to me, even if it might not be a life-threatening emergency, it can easily feel that way to the
I was in grade 10 when I thought of becoming a social worker. As social worker practitioner the fields that interest me to work in is domestic violence and child abuse because I want to make change to the society. Also Mahatma Gandhi was my major inspiration through this quote “Be the change that you wish to see in the world”. Than an idea came to me, why not involve my contribution to the wide variety of communities. My communication with school counsellors and social workers has impacted my choice of desiring to study social work. I realised that if I have had a chance of seeing a social worker when I was young, things would have been much easier and less stressful. I want to provide opportunities that I did not encounter to other people. This essay will reflect my past experience, motivation and why I want to be a social worker, values, beliefs and theory of practice.
For this reflective journal, I have decided to draw parallels between approaches to social work that I have learned in my placement, and what I have learned during my academic career at Carleton University. Placement thus far, has been an eye-opening and rich experience, which has taught me about the profession that I aspire to be a part of. I am a third year student, and much of my time spent at Carleton, has been studying theories, and becoming exposed to different schools of thought. Theories are incredibly beneficial, to teach and inform the practice of the next generation of social workers. However, placement has provided me with the opportunity to apply theoretical ideals, to real life social work practice.
Social Work’s core philosophy and values are centered around social justice and social well-being. Oppression, injustice, discrimination, and violence are antithetical to the social work profession. Social Work believes in strength-based approaches and the person-in-environment perspective to cater the needs and welfare of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society at large. Generally, the target populations for social work are vulnerable, marginalized, and oppressed people; however, social workers provide services to people with a wide range of problems, such as poverty, addiction, mental illness, etc. to empower them to meet their own needs. Historically, the social work profession started its operation by providing neighborhood