Today, one of our RNs let me know that a patient had come to her asking to speak to the other social worker at our clinic. It seems that in a recent conversation, I had been witholding from this person. You see, it seems that I am a great Social Work wizard that knows how to get people everything they want, in the form of benefits, housing, etc., and I only gave out a resource list.
You think I am being sarcastic...well, I sort of am, but not about the situation. You see, this sort of idea is not completely unheard of. The very first client I ever worked with in my internship informed me of this mystical power...in that situation I was to use it for the bestowal of Social Security benefits. In fact, when I admitted that I did not know about ways of expediting the process, I was told to go to my supervisor who would tell me.
Do you know what the power of a social worker is...it is nagging. I do not have a magic wand that I can wave over a form and magically make huge, overwhelmed bureaucracies be more forthcoming. And believe me, if I did, I would not waste time judging who would be most worthy (well, maybe I would...but only if it was a limited power, then I'd have to be picky).
This is my favorite social work myth...my least favorite - that all social workers remove children from their homes, then abandon them to the foster system. *sigh*
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