Day in the Life of Aury Bradley '19

April 17, 2019 | 1:29 PM
Aury Bradley '19, Social Work Major

My day in the life has looked a little bit different this semester since I am doing my Senior Field Internship at OSF St. Francis Medical Center near my hometown of East Galesburg, Illinois. When I lived at Mac my days were pretty ordinary and routine. I’d wake up, go to class, hang out with friends in the Rat Cage, eat lunch, do homework, take a nap and then do whatever was planned for that night.

Now, my day is waking up at 7 a.m. to get ready and put on business casual clothes, making sure I look somewhat awake. I then head to my internship (usually in a hurry because I laid in bed too long). During my drive to my internship I’m usually jamming out to music, having a mini American Idol performance, and eating a pop-tart because that is the basic “I’m late” breakfast for me.

Once I get to my internship, I log onto my computer and see what new patients I have for the day. I sync their info into my schedule and begin making calls to set up a time to meet one-on-one with them. Once I have my schedule set, I wait for my supervisor to approve it and we head out for the day. Being a Home Health/Hospice social worker means that we do not spend a lot of time in the office daily, we are mostly out driving to houses. Every meeting with a client is different based on what needs the client has. Sometimes it is as easy as filling out a POA or POLST form, but then we get the more complex situations where it takes a lot of referral calls and a lot of one-on-one planning over several days.

After seeing at least four patients, we return to the office and start writing more in depth case notes about the initial meetings we had that day. Case notes are usually what take the longest because they must be vague but also full of information such as what happened, what was said, and what the next steps are for that patient’s case. Around 4 p.m. I head home for the day and start on homework. My homework normally consists of making a new page for my E-portfolio, a journal about my week, posting on two discussion boards and whatever extra assignments I have for the week.

After homework, I normally watch Netflix or hang out with my dog, Zero. After some down time, I get back onto my computer and take care of any other business I need to, such as emails for Mortar Board, filling out grad school applications and planning what I am doing for the next month. I don’t normally plan months in advanced for anything, but since I graduate in May a lot needs to be planned such as when I will be back in Jacksonville, Senior Awards Night, Social Work Pinning Ceremony, inductions for various honor societies, and of course GRADUATION!!!!

As my days at Mac start to come to an end, I have some key advice to give: First, join any and all clubs you can. I have made some of my best friends just from joining different things on campus. Second, do not be afraid to just speak to people. The vast majority of people will hold a conversation with you and become friends with you. Third, make very close friends with people who share the same major as you. I have made lifelong best friends just by crying in the same room as them. Yes, we have cried numerous times, social work gets the best of you! Lastly, enjoy every single minute you are at Mac. The two or four years you attend are going to fly by and before you know it, you are ordering your cap and gown. Take advantage of the small campus and go on every trip offered if possible!