Observation In Social Work

b. When I first arrived I signed in on the volunteer handbook. I introduced myself to everyone and most of them seemed very nice. During my time at the agency I noticed patients walking around on their own and talking amongst the other patients. I spent most of my time decorating boards on the wall with one of the patients. There were displays of calendars on the wall. The calendars consisted of daily schedules of the variety activities Martin Healthcare provides for the patients. I helped decorate the wall for the month of February which included pictures for Black History month, Valentine’s Day, Presidents Day, and Mardi Gras. I also watched the nurses check on their patients. I noticed how happy some of the patients were which was heartwarming. I saw a few elderly women getting their nails polished. They seemed to really be enjoying themselves.
c.

From my observation, as a social worker, I have been learning that not everyone you meet will be friendly with you like you may be with them. You have to learn how to adjust and make a person feel comfortable with talking with you. Everyone isn't going to trust you at first so you have to establish a good working relationship in the beginning. I learned in Social Work 350 the importance of developing a professional relationship and respecting confidentiality. When working with others there are lessons that you can learn about yourself that you may have never known.
d. The activities that I was able to observe from the Social Work observation list would be communication patterns and conflict. In class we have discussed communication skills such as simple encouragement, reflective responding, clarification, and sensitivity to cultural differences. We also discussed barriers of communication in class.