What was Aliceís role within the agency? To which staff members did she relate most closely?

Question

Alice Singletary, a novice social worker with Magnolia Hospice in Alexandria, Louisiana, met June Plunket, who had terminal cancer, and her daughter, Polly, for an admission interview. June was in quite a bit of pain and trying to cope with dying. Polly blamed Dr. Dubuis and herself for her mother’s approaching death, and was also angry with her brother, who had distanced himself from the family. June and Polly lived in a chaotic and overcrowded household with Polly’s daughter, Jenna, and Jenna’s two young children. While assessing June’s situation, Alice identified a multitude of family problems which had to be balanced with the mission of the hospice. In this situation, Alice was not sure where to begin.

Answer 1

Alice was a new employee and had been at Magnolia for about three months. There were two other social workers on the hospice team: Linda Cheavons, BSW, and Aliceís supervisor, Janet Sails, MSW, who was always ready to listen to her concerns and back her up when needed.
Alice met regularly with the hospice team and enjoyed the interdisciplinary collaboration. Sometimes she felt young when working with nurses and physicians who were older and more experienced. They were kind and nurturing in the team meetings, but Alice was in awe of them. At times she found herself intimidated by their vast experience and knowledge and it could be difficult to confront or even make suggestions to older and more experienced team members.