Time is flying... My second year at graduate school will be starting in just two and a half weeks and all being well, my placement at the outpatient mental health clinic of a New York hospital will be starting one week after that (for privacy reasons, I will not specify the hospital's name).
Thankfully, I received background clearance. (Yes!) The head social worker had emailed the news. Now, I'm in the process of getting medical clearance. Yesterday I visited the hospital for the required testing.
Getting medical clearance was not as straightforward as I thought it would be. The whole process of giving my urine sample rather bizarre. I was told to leave my pocketbook and bag with the nurse; I was instructed to not run the water in the faucet, to not wash my hands or flush the toilet until after I had brought her my urine sample.
I never had to undergo drug testing before so the whole procedure felt foreign and awkward. This type of testing is a requisite for everyone who works at this hospital. In addition to the urine test being strange, getting medical clearance has turned into a two-step or visit process.
This is because I have been asked to return to the hospital next week to bring along some additional documentation from my personal physician as well as the bottle(s) of any prescription medications that I am taking. Surprisingly, the notation my doctor had made on the hospital's form (prior to this appointment) was not considered sufficient proof.
Following the medical clearance appointment, I was very happy to have the opportunity to meet with my direct supervisor for the first time. (Up until now, all the contact I had was with the head social worker.) My direct supervisor seems very nice and experienced. Aside from having an MSW in social work, she also has a PhD in clinical psychology.
Interestingly, the patients seen in the hospital's outpatient mental health clinic are primarily chronically severely ill patients i.e., patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and personality disorders. My supervisor will try her best to arrange for me to have a few people that I would be able to see regularly once a week. She also told me that I would be able to participate in the five groups that she runs.
I'm so excited. I expect to have the opportunity to learn so much at this placement. I'm looking forward to my internship beginning soon.
As always, please feel free to share your thoughts and comments. I really appreciate them!
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Photo Credit: Leland Francisco
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