Happy Anniversary, IAP!
The Internships in Aging Project graduated its TWENTIETH class this past May. What started as an innovative approach to training social work students is now an integral part of UAlbany School of Social Welfare. Because of the times, our big celebration of the anniversary has gone virtual. We will be marking the anniversary with a series of video-conference aging-related workshops from Learning from Alumni and Continuing Ed. Watch for other fundraising events as well!
The School of Social Welfare’s Internships in Aging Project (IAP) started in 2000 with a grant from the John A. Hartford Foundation. The goal of the project is to address the needs of seniors and to increase the number of professional social workers to address their needs. IAP MSW students provide more than 5,000 hours of social services per year, as well as identifying new needs and resources in the Capital District. The internships give students a robust education with exposure to a wide variety of settings, levels of health and illness, and multiple sources of funding. Through classroom and field experiences, students understand that seniors have varying needs in their physical abilities and life status but can experience the same social issues like substance abuse and mental health as the general population.
In the twenty years since it started, IAP has worked with a range of community partners – health systems, substance abuse and mental health programs, community organizations, state offices. We now have 235 alumni in the Capital Region, across the US and in other countries like South Korea and Mongolia. What do these alumni have to say about the program?
Natalie Turner, ’18 says,
“I work in the healthcare field, so of course we are seeing more (older) people come through hospitals and clinics. But even social workers working with families, substance abuse, mental health... [all see] older adult facing these issues. The IAP seminars that I attended brought in different professionals. We got to see different organizations and visit them, see where people work, and what work looks like in a macro setting such as the Office of the Aging versus a clinic like mine, a community non-for-profit. We got to see all of them, see all of the needs and the opportunity to work in the aging field. It’s really critically important to have more social workers involved. It is going to become more and more relevant as time goes on.”
To hear more from Natalie about her experience in IAP, listen to a clip from The Social Workers Radio show.
Maria, Class of 2012 adds,
“IAP was one of the best experiences I had. The scholarship and the care among my colleagues really got me through the program and opened my eyes to the needs of older adults. And it is so gratifying to be able to serve them.”
Tianna, ’01 – part of the first cohort of IAP students – now works in NY State service. She reflects on her history with IAP.
“The ongoing, almost 20-year relationship with the IAP program following my graduation, has provided me with mentorship, continued learning and growth. My first experiences in interviewing job candidates came through IAP, interviewing prospective IAP students… I now regularly shape and conduct interviews. My first experiences in supervision came through supervising IAP students as a field instructor for the program… and I now supervise a team which includes staff who supervise other staff. In short, IAP shaped me as a leader in the field of aging, both as a student and as an alum… my IAP experience did not end when I graduated, IAP helped me grow into my current leadership role.”
For more information for MSW students about participating in the Internships in Aging Project, contact Linda Mertz. If you would like to support our fundraising efforts and support a scholarship for the next cohort of social work students, visit our website.
Recent related feature on IAP:
School of Social Welfare Interns Ease Isolation for Older Adults, Veterans During COVID-19 via UAlbany News