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Article Excerpt: Classroom Comes to Life in HIV/AIDS Field Placement
by Nancy Martin, BSW
Editor’s Note: The following is an excerpt from an article previously published in THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER magazine. This article is excerpted here in observance of World AIDS Day, which was observed on December 1. Read the full article at:
My graduation from Stockton’s BSW program is fast approaching. Within a month, I’ll be seeking a part-time job to help with the expenses of my upcoming MSW classes.
The piece of paper that I will soon receive signifies to the world that I am academically prepared to enter the field. However, it was my internship experience that reassured me that I am personally, emotionally, and professionally ready to begin the transition from student to social worker. I was fortunate to have an exceptional field experience that served as a living example of a multitude of concepts emphasized throughout the program and relevant to the profession as a whole.
My placement was with South Jersey AIDS Alliance, a nonprofit organization in Cumberland County that provides services to residents living with HIV/AIDS. There, I assisted the Early Intervention Case Manager in performing client intakes; scheduling medical appointments; and helping clients obtain needs such as food, housing, pharmaceutical assistance, and transportation. The application of numerous textbook elements in a real-life agency setting became clear as I witnessed the challenges and the rewards of the profession with each day on the job.
Every Stockton social work class stresses the importance of self-awareness and ethics. These elements came into play immediately at my internship. My social work training taught me that a nonjudgmental, respectful attitude is essential when working with any population. I was well aware, though, of the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS that still exists within our society. Exposure is too often equated with “irresponsible” behavior and assumed to be preventable. Therefore, during my initial interactions with clients at SJAA, I was particularly conscious of my demeanor, tone, and body language to ensure that I was conveying empathy, respect, and acceptance. I also encountered a variety of new terms and expressions related to drug use. I tried to clarify their words carefully so that my lack of familiarity wouldn’t be mistaken for judgment by any of the clients.
A constant attention to confidentiality issues, another textbook theme, was essential in my work there. A person must be HIV-positive to be eligible for SJAA’s services, so even revealing the name of the agency reveals a client’s status. This created the added challenge of making phone calls, faxing paperwork, and making outside referrals without compromising the client’s right to privacy. At times, this could be frustrating. For example, I had to remember to check to see whether or not a client had requested that the agency’s number be blocked from their caller ID before calling his or her home number. There were also times in which I made phone calls on behalf of clients and couldn’t leave messages, because the person calling back would be greeted with the agency’s name.
Read the rest of this article at:
Articles from the Fall 2010 issue of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER include:
…and more!
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POEM
Cries from Kilimanjaro for Ode to Social Work
By Runcie Chidebe
SOCIAL WORK!
You have people who do not recognize you.
You have many who are not proud of you.
You have those who though you protect, deny you.
You have many who you accepted when others rejected them.
Yet, they can’t adore you.
Oh, you are a good mother.
SOCIAL WORK!
Your womb is very large.
Many are in your quiet womb
Yet, they discomfort themselves.
Many though safe and free in you
Said you are nothing.
At home many seek education
Going to school was their choice
Without saying anything, they choose you
In your magnanimity you accepted them.
Yet they are not proud of you
Oh mother! You cry from the highest mountain in the continent.
Mother, in your womb you have carried many great men and women.
Who is Ekpe? (In his glorious memory) Mother, you made him.
On your laps you nurtured Tanyi-Lum and Obikeguna.
Mbah is on the throne because of you.
Your arms engulfed Uzuegbu,
Your care and love has kept Oji.
Oh! SOCIAL WORK!Eze wore a Red cap of Knowledge and intelligence because of you.
Ejiofor smiles because of you.
Many call you great porter, for Okafor A. (Mrs) was made of your clay.
Your snow ball opportunities have held Okafor and others from pulpit.
And Okoye is holding a sceptre all because of you.
SOCIAL WORK!
I heard you saying…“Success is in the student; not in the school”
Yet, success flows from you.
Many have attended very high through you .
You said, “Greatness is in the individual; not in the library”
Yet they pay deaf ears
SOCIAL WORK!
You have built up groups,
Many homes you have amended,
Children are smiling because of you,
Handicaps wave to heaven because of you,
Yet your own children deny you.
SOCIAL WORKOLOGY! SOCIAL WORKOLOGY!
SOCIAL WORKOLOGY!
Though many call.
Those in your womb have made you valueless in the University community,
Yet your value still stands.
Here they know you not,
Over there you are cherished and celebrated (Europe, United States)
What do you study? …Social Science!
I mean your department? Oh am… “Psychology! Sociology, No am in Animal Science”
One of your children said…
Oh, she denied you
SOCIAL WORK!
Tears roll through your eyes
Because of your children.
They cause you heart-ache
Yet you heal others’ hearts.
Oh, when will those you have in your womb
Learn to appreciate you?
You giveth life to lifeless people
You giveth treasure to those who treasure you
Those who know your worth have clung unto you
Those who know you, are running after you
Those who know that “no nation” without you
Are calling on you with might.
Yet, those you have in your womb
Are shouting to go out.
What a pity!
I’ve seen people who do not appreciate
What they have.
A prophet worth nothing to those who have it
SOCIAL WORK!
You called your children
Yet they refuse to answer
Why all these negligence!
Feeling of inferiority among others
Not being proud of me,
Unseriousness, shame, absence of self confidence,
In my children, thou worry.
Yet, those who know you, cry not.
My brothers and sisters, follow great change agents, enhancers
Humble brokers, optimistic advocators, ambitious enablers, emphatic reformer, eminent therapists, indomitable activist,
Esteemed teachers, indispensable mediators, and most brilliant priestly kings!
Let us love our mother
Lets suck from her breast of knowledge
Sky will not be our limit
But our starting point
For a great man will make GREAT OPPORTUNITIES
Even out of the commonest situation.
Runcie C. W. Chidebe is a student of the Social Work Department, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
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Social Work in the News
Here are some recent news stories about social workers:
Former Fugitive Credits Social Worker for Steering Him Toward a Restored Life
Program Spells Success for Familes in Need of Support
Target Offering In-Store Social Workers for Some Employees
Help for Area Veterans Returning to Civilian Life
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