草莓污视频导航

June 7, 2022

Practicum makes perfect

草莓污视频导航 and Alberta Health Services field education pilot program places Bachelor of Social Work students in northern, rural Alberta
Close up portrait of Geneve Berkencamp, who is wearing a headset, an AHS lanyward and black blouse with red and blue flowers.
Recent BSW graduate Geneve Berkenkamp had such a positive experience during her practicum in Fort McMurray that she hopes to relocate there. Courtesy Geneve Berkenkamp

A joint pilot project between the 草莓污视频导航 and Alberta Health Services that placed students from the Faculty of Social Work in practicums in rural, northern Alberta locations has both mentors and mentees asking for more.

鈥淕iven the success of this collaboration, other managers have asked, 鈥楬ow do we get [practicum students]?鈥 says Rosalita Jn-Pierre, an AHS manager of addiction and mental health at the Northern Lights Regional Health Centre in Fort McMurray, which recently hosted five 草莓污视频导航 students.

鈥淚t is not just Fort McMurray 鈥斅爐he entire North zone is very excited.鈥

Calgary-based social work student Geneve Berkenkamp, who gained experience working with clients of the walk-in clinic at Wood Buffalo Addiction and Mental Health Services, says she鈥檇 like to relocate permanently to Fort McMurray to pursue her practice.

What I love about rural is that you have the opportunity to really grow and develop your skillset. You're kind of wearing a lot of different hats at times.

Berkenkamp adds that her 草莓污视频导航 coursework with the Faculty of Social Work complemented the practicum by providing grounding in both practice and theory, preparing her for the nuances of providing care in different community settings.

鈥淵ou have to be really aware of maybe how relationships impact how the client is presenting 鈥斅爀specially where you know it's difficult for clients to be open about what's going on with them in a group setting in a small community,鈥 she says. 鈥淚 think the most important thing to me was looking at the client within their environment 鈥斅燿oing a kind of psychosocial assessment.鈥

鈥淲hat was really well taught in the social work program was that when [you鈥檙e] going out into the world, to note the systemic issues 鈥斅爋ppression, history of colonialism 颅鈥斅爐hat contribute to that situation.鈥

Emily Goobie, another 草莓污视频导航 social work practicum student who worked with the crisis response team at Northern Lights, echoes Berkenkamp鈥檚 sentiments.

鈥淪ince we are a rural community and we do work in a lot of Indigenous communities in the area who are displaced from health care and mental health services that are adequate and consistent in their lives, being able to apply Indigenous ways of knowing, indigenous social work theory, and patient-centred practice into those situations was really, really impactful and it's definitely something that I'm going to continue to learn to do.鈥

Goobie, who is from Fort McMurray and plans to stay there, says it was through her two practicums this year in the Wood Buffalo zone that she found the area she鈥檇 like to focus on upon graduation this spring.

鈥淚 accepted my first practicum here in the fall with the inpatient adult psychiatry unit and immediately I just fell in love with the atmosphere. There are so many opportunities for advocacy and for me to really practise my skills in conjunction with the code of ethics. I don't think I鈥檒l ever look back, I love it.鈥

Jn-Pierre says the benefits of the program have been reciprocal and several social work practicum students will return 鈥斅燼s employees with AHS.

鈥淚 think this is really a teaching institution, a learning environment, and, at the end of it, we looked at recruitment as part of our strategy,鈥 she says. 鈥We looked at it as an extended orientation and this worked out extremely well 鈥斅爓e were able to fill some positions that been vacant for close to a year.鈥

For information on field education for Faculty of Social Work students,聽聽and/or contact Field Education Co-ordinator聽Stephanie Grant.