Chapter 8: The Simulation Experience

Please answer the following questions when creating your journal entry.  Feel free to use references, share links, media, pics, and other items that you feel would help your teammates.

1.  Discuss your experience working as a social worker in the Simulation Lab.  What was a success, and what do you wish you could do again?  What are you most proud of?
2.  What were your take away(s) from working with nursing students?  How can we partner with other professions to enrich the client’s experience, and what interactions with other professions may hinder the care we provide for clients?
3. Why do you think so much emphasis is placed on dress code and levels of professional presentation for this experience?

Elizabeth Prophete

REACH Orlando Health

1. I think the SIMLab experience was a nice experience. I felt as if it showed how much I have learned as a medical social worker while interning at the hospital. I was able to help the patient during the experiment by offering multiple services and providers that would be beneficial for the client in acting. I do not wish I could anything over again. It was very repetitive, As mentioned, showing the knowledge that I have from not just the hospital but also from DCF, I was proud that I was able to provide guidance and resources. I was most proud when a nurse who was participating in the SIMLab experiment voiced how she found the social workers (myself and my partner Alicia) to be beneficial. She has had real life experiences where she did not. Even the client herself who was the actress complimented our work.
2. I like working with the nurses. It was different in the sense that I knew what I was doing, and the nurses were classified as “green” as they did not. Usually at the hospital, the Nurses know everything and are not that interactive with the social workers. This was different. I was able to get a better glimpse of in-patient social work. I loved how open they were and how some were aware of some community resources and knew the importance of working with a social worker. Working together can help bring awareness to the medical staff on how to treat the client like a human and not just a patient with medical issues. I think by doing this and understanding this, it can reduce some barriers between client/patient, social worker and medical staff so that. Which can allow us to provide better care.
3. 
   Dress code is a form of respect. Not just to the ones we are interacting with (patients/clients) but to our staff and the agency we are working with. When an individual isn’t appropriately dressed, it shows that they do not take their role seriously. It’s done for professionalism, provides safety within the workplace and can help the clients identify staff (like wearing your badge). I also feel very confident when I follow my workplace dress code. For example, wearing a scrub at the hospital makes me feel like I have accomplished something. Or, wearing a nice business or business casual attire makes me feel very feminine and confident in my role as a social worker.
   

The Importance Of Dress Code For Business Professionalism: 3 Things to Consider (noobpreneur.com)

https://www.noobpreneur.com/2019/04/25/the-importance-of-dress-code-for-business-professionalism-3-things-to-consider/

Student: Celia Walker

Site: Hope Resource Center.

The greatest success was the learning experience. Being able to assess a standardized patient (SP) in a hospital setting and complete a debrief session gave me more confidence to evaluate, speak, and help clients. Also, I was able to learn ways to help clients who need immediate assistance due to their health issues. I was proud that completed a summary with the SP during the encounter and this was praised by the supervisor.

From the experience, I learned that clients in the healthcare setting require a comprehensive and team approach. During my generalist internship, I work with only case managers. However, the healthcare setting will have additional professionals such as physicians, nurses, etc. who will be involved in the care of the patients/clients, and it will be necessary to work cohesively during debriefs or rounds to completely assist the patients/clients. Thus, communication is key. If professionals lack communication, it will hinder the client’s care.

The dress code and a high level of professional presentation is necessary for the simulation as it will be required during actual patient encounters.

Alicia Henry-Orlando Health, Health Central

1. My experience as a social worker at the Simulation Lab was generally enjoyable. Success was achieved by providing information about services that could help the patient meet her needs. I am most proud of the information I have gained through my work history of the various community services and agencies in the Central Florida area; with this knowledge, I can better advocate for and support clients in meeting their needs.

2. Working with nursing students has taught me that it’s critical for them to evaluate patients holistically, taking into account any obstacles or limitations in addition to their medical needs. They should also be aware of the resources in the patient’s community.

I believe that collaborating with other professionals is critical in the realm of public services. Collaboration helps us to come together and have a better understanding of what each of us can and cannot do, as well as how we can work together to ensure that the client’s needs are met.

3.  We should always promote ourselves as professionals by dressing professionally. The emphasis on the dress code, in my opinion, was put there because society has become too casual.  As professionals, we have a duty to create a professional image for both the agency we work for and ourselves. We should also hold ourselves to a higher standard.

What Barriers Do Patients Face In Healthcare? (youtube.com)

Jacob Glofka Brevard Public Schools

1.  I enjoyed working in the SIM Lab it gave me a chance to see the perspective of other medical professionals.  It also allowed me to brush up on several social work skills. I thought I did a good job of building rapport with the client. I feel like I also did a good job of providing and educating the client about resources.

2.  I liked working with the nursing students. I thought they offered valuable knowledge and opinions that could be very helpful for social workers to know. It would be beneficial if all social workers knew how to work in multiple settings.  Part of social work is being able to work with people from all different backgrounds.

3. The think dress code is important because the way you dress says a lot about you.  It also sets a standard for people to follow.  How you carry and present yourself is very important in the field of social work. Clients are not going to want to work with someone who looks like a mess.