Haley Wellman

Responsibilities

My responsibilities during my experience were to assist the training specialist. My responsibilities included creating a list of statistics about older adults and adults with disabilities, developing the calendar of trainings for all staff, and managing the training database. Finally I was responsible for any needs that my training specialist needed done.

Accomplishments

My accomplishments including providing the staff a list of statistics that can be used to talk to organizations in Iowa about the needs of older adults and individuals with disabilities. Another accomplishment was being able to manage individuals, who were participating in trainings on the database, and ensure that the individuals, specifically staff of the Area Agencies on Aging, were completing the trainings correctly.

Memorable experience

My most memorable experience was having the opportunity to attend the area roll out meeting. This means that I had the chance to learn about how all six area agencies on aging in Iowa are going to work together to better work together and serve older adults in Iowa. This is the most memorable experience because during the meeting a learned a variety of different things about how these agencies work alongside with the Department on Aging.

What did you not expect?

One thing that I did not expect was how different the responsibilities that I thought I would have were actually completely different from what I actually did. This changed my approach to my profession because it made me realize that in the working world is that it is always changing. Depending on the needs of those you are serving and your supervisors often your responsibilities will change to cater to their needs and demands.

What advice would you give?

Enjoy your time at your internship. The great part of having an internship is that supervisors and all the organization often want to answer any questions that you have. Therefore take advantage of the chance to ask questions about the organization and their advice as move forward in your career.

How did you learn about this experience?

I had worked with Dr. Jennifer Margrett, director of Gerontology, on a grant that was partnered with the Iowa Department on Aging. Since the Iowa Governor's Conference on Aging is coming up in May, the organization needed extra help with this conference and other projects, while it's staff spent more time on planning the conference. Since I had spent some time working with members of the Iowa Department on Aging, I was offered a chance to work with this organization.

Why did you want this assignment?

I have had the opportunity to work in a facility caring for older adults. However I have not had experience working in a government organization. As I continue to learn about what path I would like my career to take, I was thrilled to have yet another experience in a different sector of the job market.