My Worst Practicum Internship Ever
Dual-Diagnosis Practicum Trainee (Former Employee) – Oakland, CA – June 14, 2015
County funded program of which the hours of "treatment" are from 9am -12am. No clear expectations defined by supervisors until 3 weeks into the job.
My desk had not been used since 2004 (fair enough)... However there was a pile of at least 100 flies on the window sill to match the cobwebs on the desk.
One supervisor feigned concern and interest in development but was clearly influenced by personal issues and disrupted the workplace by creating issues that parties involved felt to be of no significance.
Communication between staff was very limited and the time allotted to properly manage a caseload of high-needs clients was far too short due to restrictions on when employees could be in the building and the inability to work remotely.
The clients are fantastic and there is much to learn. However, organization and staff relations both decreased morale and lessened the level of treatment provided.
Pros
A diverse client population with diverse needs
Cons
Management unable to create functional training experience, lack of professionalism, behaviors marked conspicuous communication, ulterior motives, emotionally charged disruptive behavior