I Need Some Advice for an Internship That Has Turned a Bit Sour?
Question by Abagail: I need some advice for an internship that has turned a bit sour?
This is a bit lengthy but please read…
I am working on a bachelors degree in Social Work and completing my (unpaid) intern practicum of 500 hours and graduating in 6 weeks. I am interning at a skilled nursing facility (Assisted Living, Rehab, Memory Care and Nursing Care). My practicum adviser (who works on site and graduated from my university) has always conflicted in personality with me and is only one year out of college (with BSW) herself; in fact, I am 4 months older than she is but switched majors. She is quite clearly learning herself and says things like “your just a student, I have things for you to do but you can’t do them, you don’t work here”. Her attitude is rude and she acts like I am a total burden on her when I ask questions or confront her with findings or ideas, almost all of which she has blown off as “opinions” or things that I “don’t know enough or anything about”.
Anyway, one of my learning projects is that I have to do a personal assessment (bio-social-psych analysis and care plan) for my class portion of the semester. I found a client and she is a very special case. The client is 97 and was a professor at the university. She lived alone her entire life and had to fight her way to becoming a professor and she likes me very much. She only talks to me and 2 other staff members. So, I did her arrival orders, initial assessment and began to do some of my own assessments. The problem is that she acts one way to three of us that she clearly likes compared to every other person. Others have blown her off as “delusional”, showing signs of “dementia” and other staff (especially my supervisor) has reported “psychosis” from her behaviors of acting that way to them and telling them that she would “kill them if she had a gun”.
She was put on an antidepressant by our campus’ main health care doctor (generalist M.D.) and got an appointment for a psych evaluation by our campus psychiatrist. But, she told me over the past two days (in between) that she “knew what she was doing and how to get what she wanted in life by saying what she needed to say to survive”. She acts out to anyone but a few of us and told me “she is taking the medication to avoid people thinking she “is insane and stupid”. Finally, one day a nurse came in whilst I was speaking with this client and afterward told me that she had never heard this client have a conversation and it shocked her. I told the nurse that this client is of clear above average intellect and manipulates her conversations to suit her needs at the time because she did not like being cared for in her new environment.
Well, the nurse wrote it in the nurses notes. Yesterday, she wrung me out for a nurse who basically reported my opinion without going to my supervisor first and going by my view. Well, guess who showed up to the facility? The Campus Psychiatrist. Guess what? He evaluated her as having no dementia or psychosis and that she is “manipulative due to transition into the facility”. He saw that my supervisor redacted my observation and ordered she underact my findings. He also congratulated me and talked to me for a good 45 min about my future plans in clinical social work. During this time my supervisor was fuming and interrupted the doctor at least 7 times. She told him about how well she had taught me and during our conversation he kept shrugging her off. He said if I ever did a clinical to call him or if I need a good word that he will write one for me.
So, for the past 2 days, I have gone in and she did not greet me, avoids me at all costs, and had a volunteer social work student do assessments and to be with the residents. Today she didn’t even show up and left a list of 25 things to get done (all of which will take AT LEAST 6 weeks to finish). She said I will do no more visits or assessments until the list is complete. All the tasks are administrative and “office work”, filing papers, auditing, writing letters, and even helping the kitchen bus tables. I am very upset because I don’t see why she is so upset? I did the right thing and proved myself? I am not her secretary and almost her equal. What can I do?
Best answer:
Answer by Betsy
There must be a faculty member at the college in which you are enrolled who is involved in your practicum. I’d suggest that you talk with him or her about your situation. You need to be concerned about your grade (if one is given) and about recommendations that this person might write. Hopefully the faculty member will make the decision about the grade. S/he can also write you good recommendations.
Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!
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