Iowa LEND Trainee Experience

September 23, 2019

Prior to their graduation on May 2, Iowa's twenty-three LEND trainees concluded their LEND experience by hosting the program's first LEND Research Poster Session. Trainees identified an area of interest, and then with the assistance of their training directors, either conducted a research project or performed a comprehensive review of current research. The Iowa LEND trainees complete over 370 hours of training over two semesters; the curriculum is focused on interdisciplinary clinical care, disability policy, culturally responsive care, and family/patient and professional partnerships. The trainees participate in seminars, clinical observations, and a Parents as Mentors program. To observe the policy process they travel to the state's capitol in Des Moines, and attend the Disability Policy Seminar in Washington D.C.

Liz Bryant, 2018-2019 LEND Social Work trainee, commented about her LEND experience: LEND: "The biggest lesson I want to highlight that will help improve my skills as a future provider is: Always care. Always take that extra minute to put yourself in the parent's shoes. They may break down in your office over something that happened 3 weeks ago-let them. They may be outraged by one of your comments because they're running on no sleep and have a screaming child-let them be. You may be the expert in your field, but they're the expert of their child."

Congratulations to the LEND class of 2019!