INTERVIEW PAPER

SOCIAL WORK 3010

2/4/2014 WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY FH0825

INTRODUCTION

This paper will discuss my interview with the Director of Social Work at The Abbey Sanctuary Rosie Hunt. It details her job description and the many different functions within the facility. Ill also entail my journey as I searched for an individual who held their degree in BSW to interview.

Page | 1

Page | 2

Conclusion

In concluding my interview with Rosie Hunt director of social work, I found that a social worker wears many different hats. A social worker is always on call and searching for new ways to advocate for their clients. Being a social work you will have to be knowledgeable in various disciplines to be an effective advocate for your clients. Its vital that a social worker stay up to date on current legislation and laws, as social work cuts across almost every issue that a human being will encounter in life.

Page | 3

When first asked to complete an interview with a bachelor of social work I was nervous. I didnt have a clue on what I would do to find the correct person. I felt very overwhelmed making calls to individuals asking them to do an interview, plus asking them for their personal information. I

made five telephone calls. I called two schools but the social workers had master degrees. I called The Salvation Army and Forgotten Harvest and I never received a call back from anyone. I felt like this is about to be a never ending circle of calls with no answers. I said to myself thats a lot of information to have ask a complete stranger. I thought to call a nursing home. This was my break through; I landed a yes to interview the director of social work Rosie Hunt. At first Mrs. Hunt was reluctant to do the interview. She told me she would check with other staff members and think about it. I received a return call a few days later and Mrs. Hunt told me she had only a bachelor degree and she would allow me to conduct the interview. I was quite surprised that she only held a bachelors degree and was the director of The Sanctuary at Abbeys. She informed me that in a nursing facility such as the one she works in that a person who has a bachelor degree can be a director and receive the same wages as one who holds a masters degree of social work. As I compared my situation to that of a client I was then able to relate how a client may feel being rejected. The client may feel that not even the social worker whose job it is to assist them, doesnt want to be bothered. I know I felt frustrated knowing that the message was received and no callback was given. This is a well learned lesson to never put a client in a position to cause he or she more stress then they are already experiencing. I began my interview with Mrs. Hunt at The Sanctuary at the Abbey at 12:31pm in her office located at 12250 E. 12 Mile Road Warren MI, 48093. I started my interview by greeting Mrs. Hunt and thanking her for taking time out of her busy schedule to interview with me. I asked Mrs. Hunt what her educational background consisted of. She replied that she had a bachelors degree in social work which she obtained from Wayne State University in the year
Page | 4

1999. During our interview I discussed with Mrs. Hunt her job description. Her job title is Director of Social Work at Abbey. Her job description was very lengthy. Her duties include patient advocacy and support for the residents and their families, watching over the psychologyPage | 5

social well-being of the residents, monitoring the residents for depression, anxiety and mental illnesses. Mrs. Hunt stated that the residents sometimes become depressed after entering into the facility because they have to leave everything they own and know behind to share a room with another person and to be cared for by a stranger. This can be stressful on the resident as well as the staff. Mrs. Hunt and her organization have trainings for the staff to deal with those situations and support groups for the residents. Mrs. Hunt also works with the medical doctor, psychology doctor and psychiatric doctor to ensure the best care for the clients. The Abbey uses a multi-fascinate approach to ensure the best quality for each resident. Mrs. Hunt job also includes developing care plans for residents behavior and mood. She monitors medications to ensure that there arent any side effects and to ensure their medications are increased or decreased properly. Part of her job is to ensure the doctors are gradually giving medication deductions. Mrs. Hunt provides support for staff and residents. She provides support for those whom are in hospice and their families. The final part of Rosies job description is to attend court hearing for guardianship and for health emergencies in the case that no family is available to make decisions for the individual. During my interview I found out that social workers are in charge of grievance and investigations. Mrs. Hunt said that a lot of the reports for recipient complaints include a plan of

action. Mrs. Hunt and her team make sure that advance directives are in place prior to a resident becoming incapacitated. The very last part of Mrs. Hunts job is to complete Medicare assessments and discharge planning for residents.
Page | 6

The facility I visited is a long term and short term facility. Short term residents come into the facility with injuries such as broken hips. Long term residents enter into the Abbey because they can no longer care for themselves. The social problems that the Abbey has according to Mrs. Hunt are that often the staff doesnt show concern or respect for the residents. Residents at the Abbey complain that the staff doesnt care about them. These social problems are due to discrimination of the graying community. Some people arent educated properly on how to deal with mentally and physically ill persons. Mrs. Hunt along with the staff at the Abbey keeps the staff educated to change this view. I asked Mrs. Hunt could she evaluate her effectiveness within the agency, her response was Yes I feel as though Im very effective I make the residents feel comfortable and help them adjust to their new setting. She also stated that shes very effective in the area of psych-social wellbeing. The agency is very effective at maintaining the physical wellbeing of their consumers. Their goal is to care for those whom cant care for themselves in their own homes, with the upmost professionalism and care. When discussing what indications were there of micro, mezzo and macro social work within the agency I found that at the micro level Mrs. Hunt and her co-workers ensure the care of individual residents with quality staff members. The staff addresses all of the clients personal needs and concerns.

At the mezzo level of social work the agency works with the family and residents in support groups. The agency also provides support for the staff members of the agency. The macro level of social work provided at the Abbey is that of the social workers work with the Page | 7 courts to ensure the clients are represented and care for properly. The agency works with the Adult Wellbeing agency as well. I asked Mrs. Hunt some additional questions during our interview. The first question I asked her was if you didnt work in this field of social work which field would you work in? She replied that she couldnt imagine working with another population. She worked with children before and they seemed to reject the services she provided and the seniors seemed to want the help. I asked Mrs. Hunt has she done any volunteer work and her reply was that she worked with the Family Independence Agency; she has worked with an agency which sheltered run away teens that she mentored. Mrs. Hunt has also volunteered her time to work with drug and alcohol abusers. As I discussed working in the field of social work and being a new graduate, I asked was it difficult to become employed. She said that she took a short break and once she began her job search it wasnt hard to find employment. She found her first job two months after graduation. The only problem that Mrs. Hunt encountered during her job search was finding a decent wage. My final question for Mrs. Hunt was What drives you to stay in the field of social work? Her response was that she loves working with the elderly people.

After my interview with Mrs. Hunt I felt a sense of urgency to begin my career as a social worker. As I spoke with her and witnessed some of the residents in the facility I wanted to take part in helping to assist these individual who were in dire need of loving professional assistance.
Page | 8

During the interview I felt that Mrs. Hunt was very honest and passionate about her job. She informed me of some things that I as a future co-worker/social worker would need to know. She also encouraged me to continue working hard and not to limit my potential by not furthering my education. I learned that individuals with a bachelor degree can become a director of a nursing facility with equal wages of a person with a masters degree in social work. It was brought to my attention that you can begin your own practice with a masters degree. During our interview I found that a social work has many responsibilities to their clients as well as the staff and agency as a whole.

R. Hunt(personal communication, February 3, 2014)