For the past two months, I have been interning at the MBRC. My experience here so far has been a great learning experience for me. I have been able to play a part in various programs in the agency. With each program, I have learned so much about them separate and how they all work as one for the agency and with the community. My main position here is a case manager. Being a case manager intern I have been giving the opportunity to have my own set of clients and be out in the field on my own. This experience has been very beneficial to me and it is only halfway through. Here is a glimpse of my life in the day of an MBRC case manager intern.
I wake up to Bella, my puppy, watching me waiting for me to stop sleeping peacefully to feed her. I get up and feed her and then head to the bathroom to brush my teeth and take a shower. Once I do this I get fully dressed, fix my hair, prepare my lunch and head out the door by 7:30 to make it to Sikeston to work.
Once I get in the office I start off my checking emails from the agency and my university as well. Once I get done with my emails I go into my supervisor’s office to discuss our agenda for the day. We may have a meeting to attend if not we continue to do work in the office or go on home visits.
On a day where I do have a home visit I will start off the day by first calling to check in with the client to confirm our visit. I also work on other tasks I have to do. These tasks include completing paperwork from case files, if I have time I work on my blogs, or homework. I mostly have afternoon visits anyway so around 11 I go to my checklist and make sure I have everything needed for my visit. I prepare the day before but I always go back to double check hours before the scheduled visit.
At 12 is lunch time I usually have a healthy microwavable dinner or something I baked (baked fish for example) with a water to drink since I’m trying to eat healthier. Depending on the day I may have lunch with my dad who lives here in town. We will sit, eat, and talk about each other’s day. Once I get done eating I usually will scroll on my social media apps to see what’s new going on or some type of entertainment to pass the remaining time by.
Once I return back to the office I get everything prepared to get ready to leave. I make sure I bring information pamphlets and a book for the child to read. Just to promote any information I believe the client should have and to definitely promote reading to the child. After doing this I head to the car and get ready to go out on visits. First off before I record my mileage before leaving that’s just one of things you need to record. Documentation is very important in social work. “If it’s not recorded it didn’t happen.”
Now it’s time that I head to my home visits. Mostly home visits aren’t further than 45 minutes. I visit the clients for about 30 minutes each depending on the information we need to discuss during the visits or if they have something they would like to discuss. After leaving the home visit I will go find somewhere to park and take notes of everything while it is fresh on my mind. I will make sure I got all the information I need and is recorded in my case assessment. If I do not have another visit scheduled next I will continue to finish this and return back to the office.
Pulling up to the parking lot I record my returning mileage than head back into the office. Now I spend the last hour of my day. Checking emails that have been sent since I been away from the computer and looking over the client files I just did to make sure they are accurate and didn’t leave anything out. I always look at what I can work on the next day so that I’m slightly prepared for what I can do the next day in case of any free time I have.
As I stated earlier I am on a healthy journey so I try my best to eat clean and exercise on the regular. Once I get off work I head straight to the house to change into my gym clothes. I go right after work because I have been moving around all day and don’t want to go home and get comfortable and end up not leaving the house at all. I have two friends I work out with that motivated me and show me different workouts. I start off with stretching then start on my workouts. Cardio is for at least 25 minutes before I start on my abs, squats, and then I may practice boxing with my trainer. I do these different types of workout combos for an hour and sometimes a little over.
After a long day, I finally make it back to my house for good. Bella is usually pretty excited to see me so I tend to her by feeding her and taking her outside to use the bathroom. Next, it’s time for me to take a shower, eat dinner, and then get ready for bed. Now that I’m comfortable I bond with Bella a little more, talk on the phone with my best friend a little and then tune into some of my favorite TV shows before bed.
That is a typical day in the life of Valarie. Each day is a new experience I’m currently at my halfway mark of 250 hours into my internship here at the MBRC. I’m thankful for this opportunity and learning more and more as I prepare myself for this next chapter in my life after completing school.