Hannah Mandlman earned her Masters of Social Work (MSW) degree from UW-Madison, along with her license as an Advanced Practice Social Worker, in 2019. Both her degree and license are essential for her role as Capitol Lakes’ Social Services Director.
“My job is to be an advocate for residents and families,” recounts Mandlman. “Typically when I’m working with a resident in our Health Center they have just experienced a significant life event. It’s important to remember that each person’s current and past experiences are unique. In my role, I coordinate with the care team to create an individualized plan not just to ‘fix’ a certain aspect but to holistically collaborate with them as a person.”
Continuing education helps Mandlman achieve that goal by staying up to date on current best practices and giving her additional tools to solve problems in a variety of situations. Continuing education is also a necessity if she wants to maintain her license. While she often looks for free courses to complete her credits, some conferences with fees are necessary and provide high educational value. That’s why she’s so grateful she can apply for the Professional Development Scholarships from the Capitol Lakes Foundation.
“Last September I wanted to attend the Social Work Institute’s Fall Live Stream. The conference provided seven continuing education credits and covered many sessions that I felt would be helpful in my role. However, the price tag – at over $200 – was not inexpensive. The Professional Development Scholarship I was awarded provided financial relief to me personally, but thanks to what I learned it also gave me resources to better serve residents. I am so grateful to the many donors who make these scholarships available. I know many social workers in other settings that need to pay for these conferences out of pocket – if they are able to attend them at all.”
Thanks to you, so far this fiscal year the Foundation has been able to approve all requests we’ve received for professional development from our hard-working team. Your generosity means the world to staff like Hannah and ultimately results in better outcomes for our residents and patients.