Week 8:
Project Transitions

July 27, 2013

Knowing that I had only one week left, I sat chatting and crying with my supervisor at a fundraiser on Friday as we shared some of our favorite moments of the summer. That alone speaks to the fact that my internship experience has been a meaningful growing experience unlike any I’ve ever had. I’ll share a couple of this week’s moments with you:

ICM: Usually people think of a case manager as in meetings, talking one on one to clients and sitting in an office. I’ve learned, though, as my supervisor often says, that much of real case management happens in a car. When a case manager is on the road, running errands with or for a client, it’s called intensive case management. I was lucky enough to get out on the road a few times. This Monday I loaded up a mattress for one of my clients into the big ol’ company van and drove it to his apartment. He’s had bed bugs multiple times and suffers from a lot of medical problems, including a hip problem that really hinders his mobility. He’s been sleeping on an air mattress for about six months. That morning he called to say that his mattress had popped and he had slept in a chair the previous night. Needless to say, he really needed a new bed. When I walked into that apartment with a mattress, he looked at me with so much gratitude I was sure he thought I was an angel straight from heaven. That moment made every bit of frustrating paperwork 100% worth it. It made me want to case manage forever just to see those kind of smiles on a regular basis. A little favor can mean the world to someone.

Advocacy soup: Following my intakes on Thursday, I walked into my supervisor’s office to drop off the 66 pages of intake paperwork. It is her job to be familiar with each and every client on the waiting list and their paperwork so that when an apartment or community housing spot opens, she can decide who is the best fit for that opening. When I handed her the latest intake packets, she asked me to present the intake cases as clinically as possible: who the clients are, why they would fit into the program and their current needs. Without even thinking, I spilled out what I knew of the cases, complete with life story, financial situation, assessment of mental state, and acuity. I found myself advocating for their case, almost lobbying to my supervisor to admit them to PT programs as soon as possible. When I walked out of the office, I realized I was fighting for their case using my new bank of knowledge from this summer. I felt like I was back in front of Cornell’s Student Senate, lobbying for the Slick Shoes or Hillel budget items using a bank of knowledge about the school, the clubs, and the students. I was synthesizing what I knew about Project Transitions, our housing program, local housing/financial assistance resources, clinical case management language, and the clients. Together all of the pieces mixed, simmered, and settled to create a little bite of information full of the information my supervisor needed to assess acuity. It was pretty cool to know that my mind cooked that up and spit it out.

So those were just a few memories running through my head as I teared up on Friday night at Red Hot, our silent auction fundraiser. After I had my reflective chat, the evening was high energy and loud and fun and fabulous. It was a silent auction event in a local gay bar/club; there were drag shows, good food, and fantastic people. I got to meet some of PT’s board members and volunteers and interact with my coworkers in a casual setting, which is so valuable. I was able to continue developing my personal relationships with them, which I know will continue to make my work environment an even more positive, supportive, enjoyable place to learn and grow. Enjoy the pictures below- it was a rockin’ party and with a rockin’ staff and I had a rockin’ time.

One more week of smiles and tears; time flies faster than I’d like. Thanks for reading!