Victoria Pfitzner, a recent graduate of the University of Calgary's social work program, completed her practicum and accepted a social work position at AHS. Photo provided.
Social work students benefit from AHS practicum
Story by Cathy Ford
EDMONTON — A new pilot program here is helping to get more social work students into practicum placements with Alberta Health Services (AHS).
Thanks to this collaborative program, eight students from Grant McEwan University and the University of Calgary (U of C) spent a total of 12 weeks at the Royal Alexandra Hospital and Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital. For the Royal Alexandra Hospital, this represents double the number of students these facilities have hosted in previous years.
“I decided to do this practicum because I really wanted exposure to a variety of environments,” says Victoria Pfitzner, a recent graduate of the University of Chicago's social work program. “I wanted a place that would give me a wide range of experience. Although these hospitals are next door to each other, they have very different missions and demographics, and the needs of their patients are incredibly different.”
The students were split into two groups, four began their placement at the Royal Alex Hospital and four began their placement at Glenrose Hospital. They changed hospitals at the six-week mark. Traditionally, social work students do a 13-week placement at one facility.
“This new practicum model has allowed our students to learn more about the continuum of care,” says Karen Settiga, health programs manager who oversees the Royal Alex Hospital's social work department. “They have been able to gain experience working in an acute care hospital as well as a rehabilitation hospital. They've been able to work with a variety of social workers and experience different approaches.”
The pilot program also allowed for shared responsibility between the site and the university: in addition to supervision by on-site mentors, the university provided on-site field mentors to meet and debrief students once a week and, where necessary, assist the mentors with the paperwork for mid-term and final evaluations.
State Student Employment Manager Holly Knight says her team works hard to help students find meaningful employment that supports their career goals.
“Innovative approaches like this one help us help more students complete their academic requirements and join the workforce,” Knight said.
Settiga said having social work students intern at AHS also helps better prepare them to join the health care workforce.
“The learning curve in an acute care setting can be significant if you don't have hands-on experience,” Settiga says. “A health care practicum allows you to be immersed in our work environment and patient population, which leaves you feeling more comfortable and competent after completing your practicum, making you more likely to seek employment within AHS.”
This was true for students who participated in the pilot program: Six of the eight recent graduates, including Pfitzner, have landed temporary or full-time social work positions at AHS.
“I've always been passionate about understanding and recognizing health disparities and want to work to reduce them,” Pfitzner said.
With an ultimate goal of a career in health and social policy, she said she is excited to work at AHS and develop her competencies in case management and frontline acute care work.
Would she recommend the practicum to other social work students? Absolutely.
“Working in multiple environments is invaluable,” she adds, “allowing me to gain a comprehensive understanding of the health care system while building strong connections with not only patients, but also physicians, nurses and everyone in the human services field.”
