Well, my first week at my new job went off without a hitch. All the employees are really nice and helpful. I spent the entire week in orientations for everything from benefits to processes to trainings. Thankfully, their processes and procedures are streamlined. Amen! I sat with my supervisor for the clinical training and process piece. She is very nice and knowledgeable. She complemented my preparation (me, prepared??? heh) and said she can tell I will catch on quickly. To say the paperwork is overwhelming is an understatement, but that is social work for ya.
We discussed ethics, privacy, compliance and the like. The HR person described some ethical issues in the past, and honestly, I am shocked at some of the choices people make. One employee had to get something signed over the weekend, so she stopped by the home with a car full of people. Um, seriously? Major HIPAA breach. Another employee had a home for rent and rented it out to his client. Yes, this is a nice gesture, but it is absolutely forbidden to enter into any sort of dual relationship with your client, during and after service.
I was assigned my first 4 clients yesterday. I have not yet made contact because I am waiting to hear from the employee I will be shadowing next week. I plan to call Monday and set up first appointments at the end of the week. I also have to do a ton of online trainings next week on-site.
As far as my clients go, what a doozy! Four males. Three of them have been treated by the agency before, two of them have a Conduct Disorder Dx, two have ADHD/Anxiety. One of them is a refugee from Africa! THAT is way amazing, for me, because it is a population I am extremely interested in working with. To say I am hella nervous about meeting these people next week is putting it mildly…
-SWS
