Stories from the Field
Q&A with Fairlie McCollough, MSW ’21
With supervision from Clinical Associate Professor Peggy Morton, Fairlie McCollough, MSW ’21, did her 2019-20 academic year Field placement at the New York Public Library’s Mid-Manhattan Library branch assisting low-income and homeless patrons. When the School’s in-person Field placements were suspended in mid-March 2020 due to COVID-19, Fairlie shifted to developing what Dr. Morton described as “a concise, comprehensive and helpful guide to emergency resources for patrons during the pandemic.”
Finding Love in a First-Year Field Placement
Jenna Abrams, MSW ’20, admitted she was disappointed when she learned she would be working with older adults in her first-year field placement, which the School assigns to provide new students a foundation of social work practice skills within a generalist perspective. “I thought to myself ‘What? This is not what I wanted at all,’” Abrams said. “But after one day with my geriatric clients, I fell in love with the population.” Months later, Abrams not only worked directly with older adults but she also managed a new, grant-funded initiative that made resources available to their family caregivers.
Interprofessional Simulation Gives MSW Students Hands-On, Team-Based Medical Social Work Experience
One of the advantages of studying at NYU Silver is the opportunity to participate in cross-university, interdisciplinary learning experiences. Through an interprofessional medical patient simulation at NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing’s Clinical Simulation Learning Center (CSLC), selected MSW students have teamed with NYU Meyers nursing and Long Island University pharmacy students to collectively assess Simulated Patients while instructors observe through a one-way mirror.
Foundling Fellows Pursue Child Welfare Placements
Sarah Cassidy, Annie Dreyer, and Justin Pataray, all MSW ’ 20, are three of five NYU Silver - New York Foundling Fellows for the 2019-20 academic year, who received scholarships funded by The New York Foundling to support their pursuit of careers in child welfare. In addition to receiving scholarships, the fellows were assigned internships at programs run by The Foundling. Sarah, Annie, and Justin had the opportunity to talk about their placements and career goals over breakfast at The Foundling headquarters with The Foundling President and CEO Bill Baccaglini and Associate Vice President of Training and Youth Development Denise Mauro.