The University of Hong Kong Department of Social Work and Social Administration Overseas Fieldwork Placement (June 2 to August 8, 2014) Student’s Summary Report Name: Lau Po Yu, Kathleen Singapore Ang Mo Kio Thye Hua Kwun Hospital 1. Introduction of the placement agency Social, cultural context of the country of the service agency Total population: 5.47million in June 2014 Chinese: 74.2% Malay: 13.3% Indian: 9.1% Others: 3.3% Official language: English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil Mandarin is the language that is spoken as the native tongue by the greatest number of Singaporeans. Among Chinese, there are other dialects like Hokkien, Teochew, Cantonese and Hakka. Singapore is a multi-racial and multi-religious country. Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Taoism are the common religions. Different races and religious celebrate different festivals. About the hospital I was placed at Ang Mo Kio Thye Hua Kwan Hospital (AMK-THKH). This hospital is one of the six community hospitals. Usually patients are referred by acute hospital after stroke, amputation, fracture, surgery or underlying chronic conditions. Most of the patients are aged above 50 years old. They spend an average of 30 days in the hospital for rehabilitation. AMK THKH aims to nurture their patients to become self-reliant and assist them in their integration back into society. A multi-disciplinary healthcare approach is adopted towards each patient. Medical Team Therapy Team Healthcare Team Care and Counseling Team Nursing Team Specific service / program I have been engaged I was under the Care and Counseling Team. It consists of specialists in medical social work and counseling. They provide counseling and support services for patients and their families. They assist the families in preparing an appropriate care plan after the patients’ discharge. The team also helps the families to apply suitable aid to ease financial needs due to the medical fee. In the Care and Counseling Team, there is a volunteer manager who manages groupwork. The Volunteer Management Team runs different activities karaoke, seated Taichi, art and craft. They have food serving and hair cutting service. During the placement, I managed casework and created new activities for volunteer program. Besides, I organized a Guided Imagery and Music program which is a new trial in the hospital. Seated Taichi Karaoke session Pet therapy 2. Brief account of the work assignments In these ten weeks, I was responsible in managing 6 cases and 2 programs. In casework management, I did intakes with the families and phone calls. With the help of therapist assistants, I worked on two programs. Besides, I attended Amputee Support Group and provided assistance when necessary. I also participated in volunteer program and befriend with patients. I have attached to different disciplines of the healthcare team like doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and home care team. Through the shadowing, I understood the division of labor in healthcare team in taking care of patients. The role of Medical Social Workers is important. They are the mediator between healthcare team, caregivers and patients. Most of the patients need financial assistance. As a Medical Social Worker student, I have to familiar with the financial aids in Singapore such as Medisave, Medishield, Medifund, Foreign Domestic Worker Grant and Seniors’ Mobility and Enabling Fund. I also learnt how to do a mean-test for application. Application of theoretical knowledge, practice models and intervention skills The Medical Social Workers in THKH have their own theoretical framework when managing cases. They use Family System approach so I also used this when I did interviews. According to Family System approach, individuals cannot be understood in isolation from one another, but rather as a part of their family, as the family is an emotional unit. When doing interview, the first thing I did was exploring the family background. Drawing a genogram with completing the information of family members can help us assess the case. In this rehab hospital, I needed to know the pre morbid status of patients in order to manage the expectation of family members in the care plan. By exploring the family background, I could also know their financial situation so as to examine what kinds of financial assistance they need. After that, MSW will discuss with other professionals to see the care plans are achievable or not. Moreover, I adopted the holistic care approach in programs. When I did observation in volunteer program, I discovered that the activities are closer to occupation therapy side. The activities emphasize on patients’ motor movement. As a social work student, I believed that apart from physical aspect, we should also take care of people’s psychological and social aspects. Therefore, I amended the activity Life in Pictures. I invited patients to make origami and draw cards to someone they think of. During the activity, I chatted with them and listened to their stories. I showed my caring to them and let them feel being understood. And I also designed Happy Rainbow and Rings Toss for patients to train their attention and motor skills. Another program that I conducted was Guided Imagery and Music. The program based on music relaxation. It is believed that music has the function of healing. It helps people to release tense emotion and reduce stress. During the program, I played soft music with my guiding to help patients relax. They had to draw the things pop up in their mind afterwards. There was a sharing to let them express their feelings and worries. Patients have reported that they felt relaxed and got positive energy. 3. Reflections on professional and personal growth gained from this placement Personal growth I can be confident to say “I can work independently!” I was the only student placed at AMK THKH. The medical setting was so unfamiliar to me. It was a bit lonely and nervous in the beginning of the placement. With the sincere support from my supervisor and friendly colleagues, I got used to the placement setting. I had to lead two programs. From planning, preparing to run the program, I had to do everything alone. It trained me to be strong and independent. As I was the only person to in charge the program, everything I needed to decide myself. I could not be hesitated. This placement do helps me to improve my confidence level. Professional development I believe I demonstrated the seven principles of social work during this placement. Every day I wrote the daily log, I would reflect my performance on social work profession. I have seen a complicated case that the patient wanted to discharge home but other professions not recommended. As a Medical Social Worker Student, I have to respect the opinion of other professions. However, I could not ignore the principle of self-determination. People have their rights to choose the things they want. The only thing I could do was to tell him the risks of discharge home and let him understand our worries. The experience I gained in this placement guides me to be profession in social work. Besides, I learned a new approach. I did not know much about Family System Approach before I attached to this hospital. By following the theoretical framework of casework in the hospital, I had to apply Family System approach when doing interviews. It was a challenge to me. Sometimes I forgot to ask related questions. With more and more practice, I have improved the technique of applying Family System Approach. Sharing of feelings I am glad that I got the opportunity of overseas placement. It really enables me to broaden exposure to different cultures and welfare system. I do not know it is fortunate or not, the clientele of the hospital was the type I resisted the most. In the placement period, I discovered another side of the elderly. They are not as stubborn as I thought. Most of patients I chatted with are very nice and talkative. They shared their happiness and sadness to me. They also taught me a lot about life. I changed my perception towards elderly. However, there were some difficult patients. Because not many workmates know Cantonese, I had to be the interpreter for Cantonese speaking patients. There was once I was the interpreter, my task was to persuade a patient to sign an application in order to get financial assistance from government. She refused impolitely and kept on saying foul language to me. I was annoyed and felt not respected but I still kept calm. I admire my patience in that moment. This placement let me review my learning in social work. I know my insufficient and I know I still have a lot to learn. I am thankful for this chance.
© Copyright 2024 ExpyDoc
