[humanser] SPMI

[leslie penko]

Hello Mary,
 
I too had some issues applying for my internship and had the supervisor at the VA convinced that I would not stay safe with patients with SPMI which stands for Severe (or serious) and persistant mental illness. I ended up taking an internship on an inpatient psychiatric unit with a supervisor that really didn't seem to be very concerned that I wouldn't be able to see the patients' actions as I often took them out into open areas to interview them anyways.  Just make sure to remain confident and stay safe by common-sense personal safety measures.  I always checked in with nurses before interviewing a patient to make sure that they were not agitated or volatol and it was safe at that time for me to speak with them.
 
Good luck,
Leslie