Students care for the sick, learn health care models through program

Graphic by Courtney NiskalaBy Amanda Phipps
phippsa@mytjnow.com

Students learn how to help people, have hard conversations and provide support through the End of Life program, said Cynthia Forrest, assistant professor of social work.

The End of Life program teaches students to work across disciplines and help support people dealing with chronic illnesses, Forrest said. 

“We want participants to learn how other disciplines learn to think,” Forrest said. “We want them to have experience stepping out of their comfort zone.”

The program is in its sixth year and was funded by the Fullerton Foundation for the first three years and then by the Duke Endowment for the past three years, but will end this semester due to the end of the program’s external funding, Forrest said. She said the program will start up again once funding becomes available. 

Students in the program gain the knowledge and skills to work with the end of life population and working in the interdisciplinary model of providing health care, Forrest said. 

The program members attend seminars once a month, in which they learn and practice skills dealing with people in end of life care, she said. 

“The seminars are designed so that students build skills and practice what they are learning,” Forrest said. 

Members also do a field placement assignment and take a class outside of their home department or read a book related to end of life to gain experience. 

Forrest said the program encourages most students to take the required course on an audit basis. 

“It’s quite a bit of work,” she said. “We want to make it as manageable as possible.”

Program member Vilissa Thompson said she has been able to use what she has learned out in the field.

Thompson is a student in the Master of Social Work (MSW)  program and is in her second year of the End of Life program. She is doing her field study at the Rock Hill Dialysis Center.

Thompson works with the social worker at the clinic to help educate patients and help them make arrangements for treatment. She also provides a support system for them. 

“These people are vulnerable,” she said. “They like to have somebody to talk to who understands dialysis.”

Thompson said the patients like to talk about how dialysis affects their lives.

“It’s a whole lifestyle change,” she said. “A lot [of patients] just want to be listened to.”

Thompson said the program prepared her to deal with these situations. 

“Roleplaying helps put things in perspective,” she said. “When you are out there doing it, you don’t get a second chance.”

Forrest said they have done a good job evaluating the program each year and have made adjustments where needed. 

The program gives students the skills to work with many areas of health care.

“Hopefully [the members] will take these skills into the employee setting and take care of the people they are working with,” Forrest said.