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Margaret Chisholm (third from left) with program residents (from left) Anna Wacks, Yoana DeJesus, Candice Colon, Sandra Marrone and Lianna Burton
As Margaret Chisholm, MSW, LICSW, met with a group of Social Work residents this week, she thought back to when she interned at the hospital as a master's degree student.
"It's wonderful to see the growth of the students clinically and watch the group come together to support one another," said Chisholm, who manages the Social Work Residency Program at BWH. She credits the program with helping her grow in her career and obtain her current management position.
For many years now, the program has been offered to students in the final year of their two-year master's degree in social work (MSW) program. There are many BWH social workers on staff who went through the residency program as students. Social Work residents have the opportunity to work with patients, families and groups from different social, cultural, emotional and economic backgrounds. The graduate students identify psychosocial and emotional barriers that interfere with illness, treatment, hospitalization and recovery.
Graduating with her MSW this May, Simmons College student Lianna Burton has interned at BWH since last fall and said she enjoys rotating to different units at BWH. She has gained confidence in her clinical skills by doing so, she says.
"I like how there is a variety of things going on," she said. "I've worked in several departments, and I've gotten to meet with and serve many patients and families at BWH and learn what it's like to be a social worker at a hospital."
To Chisholm, this part of the program is important and unique. "Enabling residents to rotate to various units and departments enriches their clinical experience," she said.
Lindsay Dodge, MSW, LICSW, clinical social worker in the NICU, can attest to that. Before graduating from Boston College in 2011, she was a Social Work resident at BWH. She found that the program helped her grow personally and professionally. "You begin to realize your own strengths through your experiences as a resident, which helps to build confidence," Dodge said. "Interning at the Brigham is a unique learning opportunity."
Charlene Haouiliya, MSW, LICSW, who has been one of several clinical educators for the program's residents since 2004, said one of the best parts of her job is watching the residents learn and grow throughout their time at BWH. "I learn from them as much as they learn from me," she said, adding that it's a privilege to teach the next generation of social workers.
Social Work is currently developing an enhanced program that would bring students to BWH for both years of their MSW program, as well as provide internship opportunities to bachelor's degree students. In addition, the department is working closely with local colleges and universities that offer Social Work degrees to provide guidance on important topics to be covered in their curriculum.
"We have a responsibility to prepare the next generation of social workers," said Martha Burke, MSW, LICSW, director of Social Work. "By educating graduate students, we are investing in future social work clinicians and leaders."