Competency Role Model

Competency #1: Professional Behavior Jodi Davis has been an inspirational role model as a social work educator. She was just always real with how it really is out there in the field. She let us know that the information we learn is genuinely important, but it is not what is in the field when you get done with school. She gave us the need text information, which was of course all, but she introduced us to some of the elements we could face. She was down to earth, her attitude was amazing, and the way she treated us was just a breath of fresh air and really needed. Rich Bergman my field instructor has been a great role model. In my experience with him I have grown to admire him, and I am very grateful that he was available to be my instructor.
He does so much more hands on than I have ever thought. Observing him with residents, staff, resident families, and with management he handles and carries himself very well, while still being human. That is the only way I can seem to put it into words. He has taught me not only the ways of the job, but also the compassion we are allowed to have with the residents. I still have to work on the bawl baby factor, but he is an all-around person.
Competency #2: Ethics I personally have never violated a client’s autonomy. Recently though with new hires in the department, we experience some influx in the area. Where a resident may request not to have something done or go somewhere, and the staff will do it anyways. That is violating the resident, it has been handled accordingly, and a reminder to everyone was added to the monthly in-service meeting. The residents sometimes do not understand where they are, so we have to be patient with them, even if you feel you have a job to do. I had a hard time observing an incident, and even the mock in in-service. The residents are still people and as such should be treated with respect.
Competency #3: Critical Thinking Critical thinking has allowed for me to stop and think about things more clearly. I have always been more of an impulsive person, till school and especially the social work practice. When I am approached or approach a situation I can now look and see a bigger picture. I am able to identify the issue, make better judgement calls, my problem solving has reached a much better potential than my first instincts. I am able to perform better professional and personally due to this quality of critical thinking.
Competency #4: Diversity I am not certain the word for what I feel, I do recall there is one I learned it in diversity class.
I really have been trying and working on overcoming a fear of people that look of Muslim descent. I know the religion is truly beautiful, and not everyone is a bomber. My husband who watches the news constantly said something to me this summer that has just truly stuck with me. He is aware of the diversity at ISU and always expressed concern, but this year he asked that I just be extra careful, because he wanted a wife to come home to. It still makes me cry and it does make me more scared because his fears are valid. In the field I have yet to deal with this situation, however I am pretty sure in my career I will. I just hope that I handle it as well as I have walking the halls of
ISU.

Progress on Learning Activities/Tasks I have met almost all of the goals in my learning agreement to date.
I have done several one on ones with the residents. I have met with several family members for various reasons either for admissions, just to inform, or there was a passing. I have attended several meetings where I have learned a vast amount of information about the inner working of the process in resident care. Paper work is not my favorite, insurance issues I do comprehend I just find it to be a pain, I really enjoy working with the residents. I love the look on their face when you give them your attention, it just means the world to them.
Competency 5: Human Rights and Social/Economic Justice My earliest recollection to my gender is that women had no rights at all. Women were just as much owned as were slaves. Then we gained some privileges such as voting and equal opportunity employment. There is still a wall that some see and some do not. I find the only wall I ever hit seems to be of the sexual nature where I still get treated like a sexual object. I however do not deal with this in the work place. First job ever though to not have this issue, I hope it continues this way in other career choices. Women have come a long way and I am simple and appreciate what I get. There are some that want to achieve more and feel held back by what is believed to be the female
role.
Competency 7: Human Behavior and the Social Environment If the perspective were changed it would have first started with the social environment and a group collective of behaviors rather than individual behaviors. That honestly might have been the way to go as some behaviors are the product of some people’s environments.

Competency 8: Policy Practice I do not believe I have any adherence to any social policies. Right now I am not passionate about any specific policy. My spiritual values have no context to intervene in my life, my beliefs, I have learned to be open minded about through the years as they are not always right. The economy always seems to have an issue lately, so the best thing to do is deal with what we have. I do not deal with politics, it gives me a headache if I hear something I like, I will pay attention otherwise if it does not pertain to me I do not pay it any regard.
Competency #9: Contexts that Shape Practice The laws of abuse and patients’ rights in the last decade is a major impact on the client population in my area. Abuse is a big issue yet it took away a parents right to discipline, and gave children rights over their parents. Children are out of hand, and require boundaries. Parents do nothing now for fear of punishment. I was told recently you cannot even put your kid in a corner anymore. I do not know if that is true, but this parent believed that. Yet in a nursing home the residents a treated the way they should have been treated all along. They no longer endure being tied down or such horrible things I have heard stories about. There needs to be a balance to these laws where everyone reaps the benefits, and no one loses control.
Competency #10 Engage, Assess, Intervene When dealing with engagement with micro you are dealing with an individual or a select few to enter into a new activity or say group. You’re in the beginning stages of something and you’re working with a small amount to start with the process. In mezzo your working more with a community function or a small organization to bring people together with a common goal to perform a task. In the macro you are engaging a large community function or a large organization together with a goal in mind to come together to complete a project.
Competency #6: Research and Practice My research project will be based on call light response times, and the effects on residents in the nursing home. I have already conducted interviews as to why staff feels as though certain response times are high. Then I pulled up some research as to the risk involved with high response times. I would like to find some more research that has to do with what the staff were saying is some of the issues, but I could not find it at the library. I will have to broaden my search parameters to find these topics I hope.
Competency #10 Evaluate I am having an amazing semester honestly. I am suffering some time constraints. My learning agreement is almost done. I set a few more goals with my field instructor that I would like to accomplish. I do not give myself enough credit, I am my own worse critic. In my mid-term evaluation, we spoke on my points. My downfall seems to be my talking, and I really work hard on that. Honestly it is much better than it used to be. I just enjoy learning and hopefully my health stays good so I have no more obstacles.