Recap and Stuff

I've been somewhat absent from posting for the last two weeks or so. I have so much going through my head and really want to try to get it down on "paper", so please bear with me, it's gonna be a long one. About a week and a half ago I really got to play "Social Worker in Action". One of the things that I realized has been bothering me is that I meet people, I get to know the family and then they die. I haven't had a chance to make really strong bonds with any of my patients. I was always secondary to the family and nursing staff. I currently have a patient that I have really been able to forge a strong bond with. She's an independent woman who has no family around to take care of her. Unfortunately, her health has declined some in recent weeks and she had to be sent to our inpatient unit for symptom management. The cool part? I got to go with her on her intake. I got to help pack her things, make sure that everything in her home would be taken care of without her, ride in an ambulance, and advocate for her once she got to the unit. It was such a feeling of pride I finally knew what it was like to be a real social worker, helping people when they are their most vulnerable.



The following week, I got to go to the HPCANYS conference (Hospice and Palliative Care Association of New York State) with seven of my co-workers. We rode upstate on a train, bonded, stayed in a really nice hotel and even got to learn something. I was told by the director of my Hospice that they hope I will present at the conference next year (after my new program gets started). The possibility of addressing a large crowd about something that I helped create would be amazing. I had such a good time. It really cemented to me the reason that I am doing what I do. I bonded with my co-workers and made really good connections with them. I work with an amazing group of people. It also helped that there was a lot of wine and great food involved. However, it was very strange to be one of maybe five people under the age of forty. I included a picture of a few of my peoples. I was asked by the VP of Hospice to attend another Palliative Care conference in NYC in June. What an honor.



My new program begins on April 25th (the day I return from vacation) with an official kick-off on May 1st. I got my new business cards today and can't wait to get started. I just completed and got approval on our policies and procedures (which I wrote) as well as the "Election of Benefits" and "Informed Consent" forms. Hospice has finally stopped giving me new patients. I currently have 11 patients and will stick with them until they die. I'm really enjoying getting to know my patients more and more. I'm hoping to write some sort of memory book that includes patient stories, family stories as well as stories from the clinical staff. I'm hoping to speak about that to my supervisors in the next month or so.

So many exciting things are going on, but I'm also getting bogged down with a great deal of newly added responsibilities. I have one more full week to make sure that all of my ducks are in a row before heading to Texas to visit family and see Shelly and Joe get married. We are so excited about going home. It'll be weird not to stay in our house, but it wouldn't be fair to bunk in with the family that we are renting to. We're going to see our friend Brian, who will be vacationing from the Army at the same time that we are in town. We haven't seen much of anyone since we were home last July. I can't wait to see my dogs....

Okay, I think I've caught myself up with all of the happenings of the last two weeks or so. I'm really going to try to post a bit more often.