Katherine Payne, MSW
 |
Katherine Payne is a social worker at University of Missouri Health Care in Columbia, MO. She received her MSW in 1998.
Q. Can you describe your work history?
A. I graduated from Mizzou with my MSW in 1998. I did my field placement at the Harry S Truman Memorial Veterans Hospital. After I graduated, I was offered a position at University Hospital and have been here now for 11 years. I have worked in obstetrics, gynecology, newborn nursery, all surgical services (including plastic, vascular, burn, cardiothoracic and general surgery). For the past 6 years, I have been covering the trauma service working on a multidisciplinary team. I really enjoy the trauma population and the vast opportunity to help patients and families through the psychosocial impact of traumatic injury.
Q. What are the typical opportunities you provide to student interns?
A. The students doing placement with the trauma service at University Hospital have the opportunity to follow patients from admission (responding to traumas in the Emergency Room) throughout the hospitalization and discharge. They have an opportunity to provide crisis counseling, adjustment counseling in regard to their injury, psychosocial assessments and facilitate care planning and discharge planning for the patient. The student also has the opportunity to develop professional relationships with other professionals (physicians, nurses, therapists, unit clerks), as well as patients and their families.
Q. What has been the most rewarding aspects of your field instructor/volunteer work so far with MU School of Social Work?
A. I really enjoy the enthusiasm the students bring to the practicum. I enjoy having the opportunity to influence and help students become the professional social workers that they were meant to be. The students' enthusiasm, willingness to learn, eagerness, and pure enjoyment in helping people reminds me of why I, too, wanted to be and still want to be a social worker.
Thanks for taking the time to talk about your experiences with us, Katherine.
If you have any other questions for Katherine, you may contact her at paynek@health.missouri.edu.
"Spotlight on Field Instructors" was created for others to learn about our field instructors and their experiences supervising students in their field placements. View other students featured in the spotlight.
If you are a field instructor at the MU School of Social Work and are interested in participating in "Spotlight on Field Instructors", please complete the Spotlight on Field Instructors Form.
