WEEK 6 DISCUSSION: INTERVIEW WITH A SOCIAL WORKER

AGENCY VISIT—IDENTIFY A SOCIAL WORKER

This week, you take the first important step toward completion of your Week 6 Assignment by submitting the name of the agency and social worker you intend to interview. The Assignment you submit here is straightforward, but the result of the choice is important.

Your scheduled interview with a social worker in your community provides the opportunity to deepen your understanding of a social worker’s experience in the “real world.” You can connect your social work inspiration more directly to the field and to practice. Or you may discover a new path or affirm the one you are on. This is also an opportunity to learn about different agencies where you may be interested in completing your field education.

WEEKLY RESOURCES

TO PREPARE

Arrange a visit to an agency or organization in your community that employs social workers. ORGANIZATION NAME: WESTMINSTER MANOR…. USE THIS

Identify a social worker with an MSW–level degree to interview. INTERVIEWER NAME: HALEY STEINER CREDENTIALS ARE MSW, LCSW SHE WORKS SKILL NURSING AT WESTMINSTER MANOR WHICH IS AN ASSISTED LIVING FACILITY IN AUSTIN TEXAS…USE THIS

Secure permission to interview that social worker. PERMISSION SECURED ASSIGNMENT INTERVIEW TIME START: 3 PM ON SEPTEMBER 29, 2023, IN A CONFERENCE ROOM…. USE THIS

Schedule a time to interview the social worker. Be sure to leave enough time to conduct the interview and complete the Assignment.

Submit the name of the agency and the social worker, including the social worker’s degree or licensure (e.g., MSW, LCSW, etc.), with whom you will collaborate for your Agency Presentation. You will submit your presentation by Day 3 of the Week 6 Discussion. Posting your presentation in the Discussion will allow you to learn from your colleagues’ presentations, including by asking questions or discussing what you learned from your colleagues.

GRADING RUBRIC

SOCW_6002_Week3_Assignment_Rubric

Criteria Ratings Pts

This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeInformation Provided

40 to >35.96 pts

Excellent

Student submits all of the following:... Name of the agency ... Name of the social worker... Social work degree or licensure (e.g., MSW, LCSW) ... Student exceeds expectations by providing information about when the interview is scheduled.

35.96 to >31.96 pts

Good

Student submits all of the following:... Name of the agency ... Name of the social worker... Social work degree or licensure (e.g., MSW, LCSW)

31.96 to >27.96 pts

Fair

Student submits at least 2 of the following:... Name of the agency ... Name of the social worker... Social work degree or licensure (e.g., MSW, LCSW)

27.96 to >0 pts

Poor

Student submits at least 1 of the following:... Name of the agency ... Name of the social worker... Social work degree or licensure (e.g., MSW, LCSW) 40 pts

INTRODUCTION

Your journey from social work inspiration has brought you to a new milestone. You are nearly through your first course; but really, your journey has just begun. The same is true for social work practitioners—the journey is ever evolving, with constant learning applied to improve practice.

In the field, you will hear this concept referred to as evidence-based practice, or EBP, which is a process used by social workers to guide their practice according to the best available evidence. Social workers use evidence, in conjunction with clinical expertise and the client’s values, to determine which interventions to employ. The EBP process then asks practitioners to measure client outcomes to determine if intervention was effective with this specific client.

This week, you explore ways to improve practice with evidence and its relationship to social work. In addition, you submit your presentation on your interview with a social worker.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Students will:

Analyze an interview with a social worker

Analyze evidence-based practice in social work practice

Analyze evaluation of outcomes in social work

INTERVIEW WITH A SOCIAL WORKER

WEEK 6 DISCUSSION QUESTION

Thinking back to your social work inspiration in Week 1, consider whether your perspective has changed, your goals have expanded, or you have affirmed your reason for beginning this journey. Now, reflect on what you learned as you interviewed a social worker in the field for this Assignment. How could you apply what you learned in your coursework to the field of practice you learned more about in person through the interview?

Does the combination of your inspiration, you’re learning, and your experience with a social worker in practice help you visualize your future as a social worker?

For this Discussion, you interview a social worker and learn about their role in their current organization, as well as their social work career path. You create a professional PowerPoint presentation to share the information you learned from the interview and in reflecting on this experience.

TO PREPARE

Read the requirements of the presentation listed below, and with those in mind, review your notes from your interview and any other information you gathered. Organize the learning from your notes based on the requirements below.

Tip: Don’t just paste an essay into your slides. Follow the best practices for creating a PowerPoint presentation. Use the Notes section in PowerPoint to represent what you would say to add context to the slides.

Post your Agency Presentation to the Discussion thread following the guidelines below.

In a 6- to 8-slide PowerPoint presentation, address each of the following areas:

Describe the agency you visited. Include:

Services offered.

Mission of the agency

Clientele or population served.

Describe the social worker’s job activities and professional roles.

Explain what brought the social worker to the field and their work history.

Explain opportunities for advancement and what the social worker does for professional development.

Describe the social worker’s overall job satisfaction.

Identify the strategies the social worker uses for self-care.

Analyze your experience. Specifically:

Discuss your thoughts and feelings related to the agency, clientele, and type of work.

Reflect on why you may have experienced these reactions to the agency, clientele, and type of work.

Explain which social work values and ethics were evident (or not evident) during the interview.

Explain how cultural awareness was demonstrated (or not demonstrated) within the agency or by the social worker.

Explain how social justice relates to the services provided or the population served by this agency.