Objective 1:
The first objective that I sought to achieve while at my placement was to acquire job knowledge. By definition, job knowledge refers to some sort of skills that are vital to enable the management to evaluate the demonstrated job performance as well as the appropriate practices necessitated for the placement, such as work procedures, work policies, customer service, resources, and the correlation between the organizational mission and the role of each employee. From the moment I joined the placement, I was determined to have a thorough understanding of the organization’s code of conduct to enable me practice the acceptable organizational behavior. Particularly, I was keen to learn these codes of conduct when my supervisor was taking me through the very first session of orientation. Nonetheless, on the first day that I attended my placement, I faced some challenges with my first assigned task. However, I later managed to conduct further research on the task that was assigned to me as well as those that I would be assigned in future. The initiative as well as the procedure that I took on board was important and helpful to me since it enabled me offer appropriate and satisfactory services for my clients, supervisors, thereby helping me develop and build on my career.
To achieve this first objective, I had to employ the use of various strategies. The major strategy I used was to carry out online research about the population and the mission of my agency servers. Additionally, I went on to discuss the challenging situations with my colleagues during seminal classes, with my supervisors, as well as my co-workers. In so doing, I managed to successfully come out of the challenges I used to before. As such, my supervisor, co-workers, as well as my seminal classmates acted as my major resources during my placement. What is more, I made use of the Immigration and refugee Canada website and the agency website, both of which served as important sources of knowledge to make my placement a success. This strategy not only helped me increase my sense of team work, but also enabled me gain more knowledge and build more confidence in my work. This effectively demonstrates that I gained a clear understanding of the agency’s code of conduct. The reason is that the organization values team work and considers it a necessity when serving in a professional field as it is helpful, particularly in adverse situations. Through teamwork, I managed to clearly understand the organizational codes of ethics while also improving my performance during placement.
Objective 2:
During my placement, my second objective was to be able to deal with interpersonal situations while at the workplace. These situations included culture and language barrier. This skill was critical to me in order to not only communicate effectively with my clients, co-workers, and supervisor, but also to relate well with the entire population that was served by the agency. The ability to break the cultural barriers as well as the language barriers that existed between me and the clients boosted my confidence and made me feel contented with being at the placement. For instance, I managed to learn their manner of greeting. This, in turn, helped me gain their confidence and trust, thereby making them feel free to face me with any difficult situation they encountered. It also gave me an opportunity to take part in various activities at the placement, with an aim to help my clients in case they had any bothering issue. What is more, dealing with interpersonal situations enabled me participate actively in employee meetings and presentations. Importantly, I was able to train new employees as well as placement students. This was a proof enough that I had developed sufficient understanding of the organizations mission and role.
To realize the second objective, I keenly observed my senior employees while also consulting with my co-workers and supervisor whenever I was in need of any form of clarification. Furthermore, I constantly communicated my opinion during group discussions and meetings. These had a significant impact on my success in effectively relating to, and dealing with clients. I always ensured that I appropriately make use of any kind of information and knowledge I obtained from my supervisors and co-workers. Far from this strategy, I also familiarized myself and constantly visited the refugee and immigration Canada’s website, for purposes of accomplishing my tasks effectively.
This made me feel extremely comfortable and free round my clients since I could relate and communicate with them effectively, and hence was in a potion to understand them and help them whenever they needed my help. Regardless of our diversity in culture, language, and beliefs, developing good interpersonal skills was a very useful tool in such a global working environment, following that in many occasions, I could meet clients from different ethnic backgrounds. As such, dealing with such situations became much easier for me since I developed effective skills to deal with such. To effectively track my self-development, I also received feedback from my journal entries, my seminal classmates, and my team members who were always ready to assist me. I demonstrated absolute ability of handling the tasks I was assigned at my placement . for example, I was able to assist clients with their citizenship applications and with their permanent status of residence, with no supervision accorded to me. Doing so gave me a feeling of being part of a team that was now able to identify and address clients’ issues. What is more, I learnt that I was more comfortable in performing my duties on my own.
Objective 3:
My third objective at my placement involved developing self-awareness. This entailed being more conscious about my surrounding. Doing so enabled me to vocalize and counicate my strengths as a professional. The main strategy I employed to realize this objective was discussing any matters arising with my supervisors and colleagues. I also ensured that I discuss such issues with my seminal classmates. These strategies enabled me gain awareness with regards to how to conduct myself during my placement, particularly in the field. Such an awareness was critical in dealing with, and coping with adverse situations that I often encountered during placement.
In the course of time, I managed to adapt in a wide range of aspects, such as on how to greet clients from different ethnic backgrounds and cultures. I managed to acquire this critical skill through gaining the attention of my clients and ensuring that they are comfortable. I also endeavored to guarantee and convince my clients that I was always there for them whenever they were in need. I later learned that by sharing the beliefs and insights of my clients, they gained my trust and became so close to me. As a result, some clients could book appointments with me after receiving referrals from their friends. The feedbacks I received from my co-workers and supervisors were key to evaluating my performance, and demonstrated that indeed I achieved this third objective of developing self-awareness.
Objective 4:
The fourth objective involved developing practice skills during my placement. I was to learn how to practically reach professional boundaries when dealing with clients. To be able to effectively acquire and demonstrate these skills, I constantly reviewed case management handbooks, the code of ethics, and case co-ordination handbook. To be able to effectively perform my tasks, I went ahead to discuss the skills with my classmates and team. I used SSW course Readings and OCSWSSW Ethics handbook as my primary resources. I later at some point in time learnt that I was comfortable handling and working with clients. Additionally, I was able to form solid relationships with these clients.
The feedback I obtained from my co-workers and supervisor enabled me evaluate my performance. I have also demonstrated active listening skills as well as the ability to advocate for the rights of my client and co-workers at the placement. To be able to effectively complete the steps, I had to review my course material on interpersonal communication as well as case management/coordinator readings, besides the supportive counseling I constantly received from my supervisors. The interpersonal communication texts, coupled with the directions from my classmates and supervisors, served as the key resources for the realization of this objective. I noted that I had significantly improved in the manner in which I received and encoded information from others. Additionally, my professional relationships have significantly improved, demonstrating that I have realized this particular objective through working hard within the stipulated boundaries while also interacting with various clients.
Objective 5:
The fifth and the last objective entailed integrating knowledge that I had gathered and practiced, improving my self-determination, and increasing the interdependence of clients within my placement agency. To realize this objective, I constantly reviewed correlating materials about this principle. The materials included case management anthology, supportive counseling, and code of ethics handbook. All these materials equipped me with adequate practice skills that I necessitated in this field. Through such skills, I learnt that my work agenda was linked to the needs of the clients, and that clients could relate with me easily and effectively if I offered them the assistance they needed. The fact that I could now relate with and understand clients from diverse backgrounds, cope with all the challenging situations I encountered at the placement demonstrated that I effectively integrated the knowledge I acquired during placement. In addition, I felt comfortable working with clients and did not need any supervision to carry out my activities. Overall, the initiatives as well as the procedure that I undertook during my placement were important and helpful to me since they enabled me offer appropriate and satisfactory services for my clients, supervisors, thereby helping me develop and build on my career.
