Mollie Steele-Merna, LMSW, ACM-SW
Savannah Williams
Interview With a Practicing Social Worker
- Mollie shared that her responsibilities and activities are psychosocial assesments with patients in their homes and to provide community resource referrals.
Range of the Social Worker's Responsibilies and Activities
-Medical social worker
Social Workers' Job Title
- Amedisys Home Health
Name of the Agency
Part I: The Nature of the Job
The Kinds of Problems or Challenges Faced by Their Clients
- Mollie first answered this question with "sick ones." Patients that need home health services because they are home bound in need of care, usually after they've been to the hospital.
- Mollie mentioned some challenges as being isolation, lack of caregiver support, transportation issues, financial difficulties, clients can't afford meds, cognitive issues.
The Kinds of Clients They Work With
Part I: The Nature of the Job
Their Educational and Field Placement Background
- Mollie shared that her decision to become a social worker was influenced by her brother who is affected by a disability. She says she learned to have empathy for him at a young age which inspired her to pursue a career in helping others.
- Mollie received her Masters in Social Work in 1986 from Norfolk State. Her field placement was in alcoholism in a public substance abuse agency and a family stabilization unit with sexually abused children.
Why They Became a Social Worker
Part 2: The Social Worker's Background
How They Interact with Other Professionals
- A typical day in Mollie's week includes "riding around Hampton Roads visiting homes and seeing patients to do psychosocial assessments and provide resources." She says she often eats lunch in her car and that there is never enough time to get everything done.
- "Very carefully"- They collaborate working with a multidisciplinary team, with doctors, nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, etc. She mentioned that she is not medically trained, and that medical social workers are "unlike any other animal out there."
A Typical Day in the Social Worker's Week
Part 3: The Social Worker's Professional Life
Negative Client Outcomes That Sometimes Occur
- A typical day in Mollie's week includes "riding around Hampton Roads visiting homes and seeing patients to do psychosocial assessments and provide resources." She says she often eats lunch in her car and that there is never enough time to get everything done.
- The main negative outcome that Mollie mentioned was patients who were noncompliant. She said that it is difficult to help people who are not receptive to the help they provide.
Positive Client Outcomes the Social Worker Hopes For
Part 3: The Social Worker's Professional Life
Three Major Challenges in Carrying Out the Job
- Seeing clients benefit from the services provided- Being successful in finding resources for the patient because they are typically very scarce - Interacting with appreciative and engaged clients
- Lack of a spell check in Electronic Medical Records (she said this one as a joke but honestly? That's a real challenge)- Never enough time - Too much travel, not enough time with individual clients
Three Rewarding Aspects of the Job
Part 3: The Social Worker's Professional Life
- (Mollie used to work in the same unti as my mom)- She shared that she learned a lot along the way and had to work hard to understand a lot of the medical aspects of the job.
What Was it Like Working in the Hospital Without Any Medical Training?
Part 3: The Social Worker's Professional Life
How Did the Information You Gathered Affect Your Attitude About the Social Work Profession
- This assignment helped with my understanding of the social work practice because I was able to speak with a real, currently practicing social worker. She is very knowledgable about the profession so I feel like I chose a great social worker to help improve my understanding of the profession.
- The information I gathered really affected my attitude towards the profession. I learned a lot and it has positively improved my perception of social workers. I got to hear the great things and the not so great things about the profession, which certainly helped with understanding it bettter.
How Did This Assignment Enhance Your Understanding of Social Work Practice?
Part 4: Summary Impressions
