Kate Barner and Sheryl Olshin discuss their professional relationship at the 42nd annual Mary Mason Field Instructor Appreciation Breakfast, which celebrated supervisors for their year-long commitment to 皇冠官网SSW students. Photos by Tony Rinaldo.
It was fall 2024, and Kate Barner was serving as an intern with the at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Barner was tasked with supporting patients with complex health issues, a role that included identifying health risks, coordinating care across providers, and facilitating communication among hospitals, rehab centers, and patients鈥� homes.
A month into her internship, Barner, then a student in the Advanced Standing program at the Boston College School of Social Work, was assigned to a patient with a history of alcohol abuse.聽
During a routine visit to the patient鈥檚 home, Barner sensed that something was wrong. The patient, typically welcoming, didn鈥檛 come to her door. Her eyes were bloodshot, suggesting that she had been drinking. And her pillbox was full of medication that she had failed to take.聽
For the first time, the patient made passive comments about suicide and asked Barner to leave.
Barner stepped outside and called her supervisor, Sheryl Olshin, who had worked with the patient since 2022. Barner wanted to know whether Olshin thought that she should call 911 to facilitate a wellness check. Olshin reminded Barner that the patient 鈥渉ad the right to make bad decisions and continue to drink,鈥� but acknowledged that Barner had valid concerns.聽
Ultimately, Barner decided to call 911鈥攁nd the patient has remained sober ever since.
Susan Coleman, assistant dean of field education, acknowledged students for the positive impact they鈥檝e had on the professional growth and development of their supervisors.
Barner and Olshin shared this inspirational story from the field as part of the 42nd annual Mary Mason Field Instructor Appreciation Breakfast, an event celebrating supervisors for their year-long commitment to 皇冠官网SSW students.
Reflecting on their experience in April at the Yawkey Center, they both said that their professional relationship grew stronger and more collaborative as a result of the challenges they faced in working with the patient who suffered from alcoholism.聽
Barner learned to lean on Olshin for guidance and became comfortable asking for help. 鈥淎s interns,鈥� said Barner, who graduated in May, 鈥渨e often want to impress and showcase our abilities, but I realized it was okay to ask for help and to be vulnerable in that way.鈥�
Countless students, faculty, staff, and field supervisors attended the appreciation breakfast.
She credited Olshin with imparting a nugget of wisdom that figures to serve her well throughout her career: Social