28/05/2026
Thank you to Austin, a social work student who recently finished an internship with our Region 9 Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program! Austin's experience was so worthwhile that he plans to continue volunteering with us.
Join Austin as an intern or volunteer: https://www.dhad.org/elder-rights/long-term-care-ombudsman
More questions about the experience? See what Austin had to say below!
What has surprised you most about working as an ombudsman intern?
• Originally, I had no desired population I wanted to work for after I graduated with my social work degree. I had considered working with children, rehab services, or working in a clinical setting. To be completely honest, I did not think I'd want to work with older adults in long term care facilities. That's the main reason I wanted to apply to intern here. Now I absolutely love it, I have really enjoyed my experience so far.
Can you share a moment when you felt like you truly made a difference for a resident?
• Just today I passed a resident in the hallway that I have spoken to before and I stopped to see how she was doing. I stopped and basically just asked her how she's doing and how things were going and as I started walking away, she kept telling me just how thankful she was for me to be there.
What hands-on experiences did you gain that you wouldn’t get in a classroom? / What skills have you developed during your time here?
• The major skill that I have had to develop is learning how to speak to people. Not necessarily words spoken, but learning how to pick up on body language, learning how to have uncomfortable conversations with residents. You can only learn so much of this from a textbook, this internship has provided me with actual experience doing this. Also, learning how to document correctly is a skill that I have been trying to learn. In the classroom you learn the basics of documentation, but you do not know how this is going to look at your job site/internship until you start doing it. I have been very lucky to have my supervisors take the time to review and edit my documentation.
