Personal Narrative: My Internship At The Department Of Human Services

Learning to handle people at their worst, was one of the biggest challenges I faced as a Physical Therapist intern. Over the summer of 2016 I gained first hand insight of my desired career as a community volunteer in my area. I assisted patients daily for over three months, devising the best treatment plans and guidance for using equipment, preparing patients for electric shock therapy, but more importantly, being patient as people are less friendly and not talkative when faced with pain. I had to learn when to engage or when silence was golden.

I completed my internship at Saint Agnes Home, Inc (SAH) located in West Hartford Connecticut. I was assigned to single Teenage Mothers. The Saint Agnes is a non-profit program licensed group home run by the State of Connecticut Department of Children and Families for pregnant and/or parenting adolescents and their babies. The mission of the Saint Agnes program is to provide residential care and support services to single pregnant and parenting teen mothers and their babies. The Saint Agnes Home program emphasis values, respects life, and recognizes the unique dignity and optimum potential of each person served. The program is staffed by licensed clinical social workers, registered nurse, and other college prepares professionals.

Through my experience with the healthcare field, I have seen that low socioeconomic status, culture, and access are the major contributors to the health disparities today. Whether it is not being able to afford health insurance/medical costs, a culture that’s attitude and beliefs does not put much value on preventative care, or simply not having appropriate transportation to the doctor, all these factors work together against the patient. Medical professions can best tackle these issues by first knowing and understanding the needs of the population in which they practice. Theoretically, if one is aware of specific needs then those needs can be better addressed, whether they are financial or cultural needs. Also, medical professionals can work

The history of mental health in the United States show a robust movement towards the mental healthcare system we have today. Prior to the 19th century, individuals with mental health issues were widely considered to be demonically possessed, thus contributing to the stigmatization of mental illness and the proliferation of poor treatment conditions. However, in the 1800s, there was a dramatic change in mental healthcare in the U.S. The government took a proactive role in treating the mentally ill, leading to the dawn of state psychiatric facilities.

In the Fall of 2014 I became an RA, Resident Assistant, a position longed for since I entered as a student at Landmark College, a college for students with learning disabilities and autism spectrum disorders. I went into the job aspiring to help other students and build upon the close knit and friendly community that was already in place. My job was to ensure the safety and security of all residents, refer students to appropriate services on campus, and run and plan programs alongside two other RA’s and a Resident Dean.

If I were to go into a career in the criminal justice field, I would look into the juvenile justice system. One opportunity to work in the juvenile justice system would be a resident youth worker. This job includes providing safety, security, custodial care, discipline, and guidance to kids who are being held in the facility. A resident youth worker also plays a critical role in the rehabilitation of youth and, therefore, can have a great impact on a juveniles success during and after their incarceration.

I am passionate on helping people and making changes in others’ lives. Like I stated before, my mother had been trapped herself in the apologetic emotion for years. The mental burden had made her down. Therefore, I decided to help my mother get rid of the self-accusation, by using the knowledge I learned in the Human Services major. To illustrate, I was telling her that it was not her fault of divorce, and she was not showing me the negative image of a marriage. Instead, I admire her braveness of ending a marriage when it was necessary, especially in the time when people were stereotyping divorced women and at the place where people were being judgmental. Now, her self-blameless has been reduced, and she told me that she was not felt as guilty

Billy does not allow hitting in his home. Josilynn is now grounded. Billy stated there is still troubles at bedtime. Both are having behaviors. Mostly it is with Sarah, when Billy intervenes the children go to sleep. Both children know Billy means it is time to stop. There are no issues in school. When Billy and Sarah tried going out of town one weekend the children had a blow up. They did not want to stay with Billy's parents over night. Billy understands because they doing want to be moved around and they are comfortable in their our house. Now they are having the oldest daughter come stay the night in their house for date nights. Billy spoke about build a bear and how they earned their stickers to get a build a bear. Billy now created a chore list for the children to earn money. Worker spoke about counseling and IPS if the placement was struggling. Billy states the placement will not blow. Worker spoke to Billy about the progression of the case. The mother was going to motion the court for unsupervised visitation this month. Worker is unsure when it will take place possibly late May early June. Worker discussed how unsupervised visitation would go. Billy was willing to meet someone for the mother to take the

My passion for Human Services began while traveling in Asia, Mexico, and through different communities in our country. The most important lesson I learned whether overseas or here in the USA is compassion. Compassion and understanding for what is needed. Compassion for underprivileged people, the elderly, and most importantly the children. The one thing that has stayed constant with me since I started traveling with my family is that people need help.

Even though it may not sound like it, my most memorable experience is working for a home care company. The company I work for is called Residential Physicians Association. I have been working with this company for 2 years as a Medical Assistant. My role is assisting doctors in making home visits. These home visits are more relaxed than hospital visits because the patients are in the comfort of their own home. It is a rewarding feeling to see how grateful patients are to have a service come out to their house. Taking vitals and drawing blood is my most learned skill I have learned with this job. Doing these small procedures gives me hope that I can one day succeed in major medical surgeries. The opportunity of this job has shaped me to find my calling while enjoying every day of it. Memorable experiences are created every day without realizing, while creating memories is important, it is also important that you are

Volunteer work has always been a prominent activity that occurred within my life. Growing up with a father that was involved in the community so much that it felt like it was his job, I was always surrounded by community service and helping others. At the young age of six years old, I decided to do my part as well, feeding the homeless in a local church in New Bedford, Massachusetts. From that year on, I believe a majority of my most valuable characteristics derived directly from my volunteer work. Now, almost thirteen years later, I am involved in over 100 hours of community service per year and am ready to apply it into a new field- as a Resident Assistant.

During my freshman year, my Residential Assistant pulled me aside and expressed to me that I have the potential to be a great RA. Before I was told that, I did not really pay much attention to the position and what RAs actually do. The dedication and hard work these individuals put forward to make the college life of many students much simpler and inspire them. Once I was told that I had the potential to help others and meet so many other people, it ignited a change within me. I now wanted to do the same things and simply help others while making relationships along the way. I had a strong relationship with my RA and he was always there to assist me in any situation. He mentored me through difficult situations and helped me grow as an individual.

I am interested in the position of Resident Assistant at The University of South Dakota because it would allow me to take the experience I have gained in the last two semesters as an Resident Assistant and be able to apply them to a new residence hall to help grow a splendid learning community. My two semesters of being a Resident Assistant at USD and my experience at being the President of The University of South Dakota Climbing Team has given me a great organization skills and a greater understanding of the commitment this position requires.

On September 14th a child showed up with her mother for an outpatient procedure. The minor was checked in at registration and then proceeded back to prepare for surgery with the pre-op nurse. At this time the mother further explained that she would be leaving the facility but gave contact information to get a hold of her once the procedure was complete. This information was placed on a note pad and note in the patients file. Once pre-op was complete the child was taken back to the OR were she was cared for by the OR nurse. After the procedure was complete the recovery nurse ensured the patient started to wake and then handed off to the discharge nurse. After waiting for the mother to return for about a half hour the patient started to become upset. Looking in the waiting area and not being able to locate the mother the, once the discharge nurse got a call from security that the father had shown up the nurse gave discharge instructions to the father and allowed the father to take the child.

For my skills writing I am going to write about my journey to Job Corps. The elementary school I attended was Daniel A. Payne elementary and my middle school I attended was Kelly miller middle school. My high school I attended was H.D Woodson and I never completed the ninth grade because my mom had recommended Job Corps to me because of problems I had in school.