Blog Posts

Community Support Worker Program student Matthew Bantog shares his experience as he prepares for his last week in practicum.

Three weeks down, one more to go before I have finished my practicum at the ‘Bridges’ Day Program here in Cloverdale. These past three weeks have gone by fairly quickly, but I have learned so much. Not just from the staff, but the clients as well, and I have enjoyed every minute I’ve spent with everyone.

From the moment I walked up the building stairs on my first day, several clients greeted me. Even though they had no idea who I was, or what I was doing there, they had welcomed me with open arms…literally. One of them even gave me a tour of the entire upper floor. I was just overwhelmed by their kindness.

With each passing day, I learn something new. Staff members are very timely and helpful when explaining how to handle situations after they have just happened. Letting me know not to be afraid to ask a lot of questions, even though I find myself more as an observer. Which I feel has helped me a lot the past few weeks, especially when it comes to remembering everyone’s names. Some that I’ve had the chance to shadow have also offered tips in order to prepare me for my future in the field. Which reminds me…I should start studying for my Class 4 License!

Although I have learned a lot from the staff, I have learned even more from the clients themselves. Personally, what makes me happy the most is to see other people happy. As I previously stated, I am an observer, and by observing I am absorbing and feeding off of others. Seeing the clients be motivated to reach their goals in the community motivates me to support them as best as I can. People say that caregiving is one of the hardest jobs in the world, but is also one of the most rewarding. And in these past three weeks of practicum I have experienced firsthand how true that statement is.

I’d like to thank everyone at ‘Bridges’ and Drake Medox for everything they’ve done to prepare me for success in my future career as a Community Support Worker.

If you are a special person like Matthew, and want to make a positive difference in the lives of other special people in our community, click here to visit Drake Medox College’s website to learn more about this rewarding career choice!