>> Janie Servos: Hi, my name is Janie Servos
[assumed spelling], and I'm a social worker.
I work at a skilled nursing facility in Battle
Creek, Michigan, and every day is different.
I go to a meeting every single morning to
discuss those events, issues, and concerns.
And then after that meeting is
done, I do what I need to do.
I do a lot of paperwork, a lot of
meeting with different residents,
asking them how their weekend or their
night has been, if there's been any lewd
or behavioral issues I will interview them and
assess them and see if there's anything I can do
or anything I need to do to intervene.
As a social worker, I also work very closely
with the psychiatrist that we have on the staff,
so I work a lot with psychotropic medications.
If someone needs a medication change it's my
job to contact the psychiatrist and the family
and kind of work together in order to find the
best combination for that specific individual.
My hours normally are Monday through Friday,
eight a.m. to four p.m. Sometimes I have
family meetings or meetings with the doctor,
where I have to stay late,
till six, seven o'clock.
Sometimes I have to come in early, as early
as like six or seven, to in-service some
of the nursing staff, different issues.
I don't have [inaudible].
And then I work from home, but I
can go into work anytime I need.
>> Speaker 2: Okay, do you travel?
>> Janie Servos: Occasionally, if someone - if
one of our residents is placed in a hospital
or a psychiatric unit I will go and observe them
and assess them and see what their new needs are
and how we can meet them, and if they're
able to come back to our facility.
I've felt like there's so many different options
and different people that you can meet and,
like I said, every day is different,
and that's what I like about it.
So I go into work every morning not
really knowing what's going to happen,
so what kind of [inaudible] surprises, you
know, keeps me on my toes a little bit.
>> Speaker 2: Okay, what
are some of the strategies?
>> Janie Servos: [Inaudible] in social work,
it's very enduring physically,
mentally, emotionally.
And when you're sitting constantly
listening to people struggle,
and my specific [inaudible] people,
unfortunately, pass on a daily or weekly basis
so people you're becoming close with, one day
they're there and the next day they're not.
So that is by far my biggest challenge.
>> Speaker 2: In order to prepare for
social work anything that you need to ...
>> Janie Servos: To really know that that's what
you want to do and have some good experience
and history with a good support system in
order for you to be able to have people
that you can kind of lean on and
go to if you're having a hard time.
>> Speaker 2: Okay, any classes,
in particular, do you recommend?
>> Janie Servos: I recommend, of course,
social work classes and I am a big advocate
for the social sciences and liberal arts.
I took a few liberal arts classes.
I took a theater class in college, and
a therapy and those were very beneficial
and actually helped me in my career today.
I think in order to be successful in social
work you need to just work really hard
and to have a lot of faith in yourself, a lot
of confidence, you really have to be aware
of what you're doing and why you're doing
it and know that it's the right thing,
and you have to want to do it, too.
I don't think anyone can be a social worker,
and I think that's a big
misconception in our society.
It takes a really unique set of
skills and knowledge in order
to do that, so you really have to want it.
I started out at Michigan State University in
interior design, and I realized that was not
for me, and I realized I had to do math.
And I quickly switched to psychology, and
then eventually after some conversations
and much thought I switched to social work.
And I ended up graduating from Michigan State
University with my Bachelors in social work.
And then I went directly from my Bachelors
to my Masters at Western Michigan University,
and it was an extended one year advanced
study so it was one full year fulltime
that I was going to Western for my Masters,
along with an internship, a one-year internship,
which I worked at - it was a cancer care center
and helped individuals going through chemo,
radiation, I helped them with their financial
matters, helped them apply for Medicaid.
And I was in a couple of support groups,
stress relief support group,
cancer survivor support groups.
So that was a really touching
and profound experience for me.
I also have traveled, which has
really influenced my ability
and my desire to do social work.
I traveled to India, and I really just
enjoyed the lifestyle and the culture
and meeting people, and especially the
women, I attended self-help groups for women
on a regular basis and that
was what my research was on.
So those two experiences have really shifted
and [inaudible] to the way that I want
to live my life and the way I
want to be as a professional.
>> Speaker 2: Okay.
Thank you.
Do you have any final advice
for your [inaudible] students?
>> Janie Servos: I think some good
advice is just - it sounds cliche,
but listen to your heart and do something
because you want to do it and don't think
about the money because at the end of the
day you have to be happy with yourself
and with what you're doing
and the amount of money
in your bank account is not going to matter.
So I'd really just encourage students
to do a lot of soul-searching,
a lot of talking to people who you trust,
and get some good advice from people
who have already been through it.
And, yes, just follow your heart
and do what you were meant to do.