Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Continuous learning is one of the main trends in education. It is especially important for employees in the social sphere, because caring for people requires a lot of knowledge and skills, sensitivity and the ability to find a common language with everyone. Developing competencies helps Institute of Continuing Professional Education for Social Sphere Workers in Moscow. This year it celebrated 17 years since its foundation.
A mos.ru correspondent visited the training site and learned how social security employees are trained. Is it possible to master the profession from scratch, what does a simulation room look like, why first aid skills are needed by all specialists, and what scientific research is conducted by teachers — in our material.
The Science of Caring for Others
The Institute of Continuing Professional Education for Social Workers is located at 10 1st Basmanny Lane. The modern, bright space is quiet during the day: classes are in session in the classrooms. The lobby is decorated with a collage of photographs of teachers and students, collected for the 17th anniversary of the institute. We are greeted by Director Igor Timofeev. He tells us that among the students are specialists from family centers, Moscow Longevity Centers, psychologists, speech therapists, exercise therapy instructors, social inspectors, and other social workers.
“Moscow sets the bar high, constantly introducing new technologies and standards for service delivery. Social workers should develop together with the city. The institute offers various courses – from professional retraining programs lasting six to nine months to online trainings that can be completed in an hour. For example, we train home care specialists: candidates for the position study the specifics of caring for older people, the intricacies of interaction, including with cognitive changes. You can also get the profession of a mediator – a mediator in family conflicts. Advanced training courses are designed for those who want to improve in their field. We also pump up soft skills: the ability to negotiate, convey your thoughts, hear the interlocutor,” he noted.
The institute also has a school of kinship care. There, Muscovites can learn how to take care of their disabled and elderly relatives: how to safely move, feed, and help maintain hygiene. The institute is also involved in scientific research.
“All our work comes down to one mission – to promote human well-being,” Igor Timofeev emphasized.
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CPR and Empathy Suit
Before going on practical training in city centers, students hone their skills in a simulation classroom. We go up to the second floor and enter a spacious hall where a first aid lesson is taking place. All social workers learn these skills so that they can act quickly and competently in an emergency.
On the floor lies a mannequin — a full-size model of a human with a flexible chest. Teacher Svetlana Moiseenko demonstrates how to perform CPR, then invites students to try it. She regulates the rhythm and depth of their compressions, explains why they should take turns: a rescuer gets tired after a couple of minutes, which affects the quality of resuscitation.
Then the group figures out what to do if an older person falls. According to the teacher, carpets, wires, and the bathtub are especially dangerous for them in the house. If they trip or slip and fall, the first thing you need to do is calm yourself down: fussing will do harm. Then you need to calm the victim down, find out if they can move their legs, arms, and head. If you suspect a fracture, you need to call an ambulance.
The next topic is the Heimlich maneuver. It is used if a foreign object has entered a person’s airways. The teacher’s assistant puts on a training red vest. The tube imitates the airways, and the soft bulb with air imitates the diaphragm. Svetlana Moiseenko puts a plastic cap in the tube, grabs the assistant from behind and squeezes the bulb sharply. The cap flies out.
The teacher explains that bedridden patients should be seated before eating – this way they will not choke, and the Heimlich maneuver will not be needed. She approaches the bed where the mannequin is lying and demonstrates proper feeding: she carefully seats it, puts a pillow under it, and uses adaptive dishes. The students are also taught on it schools of related care.
“We are taught how to help without straining your back or your soul.”
In addition, the simulation center has an empathy suit – a device with gloves, glasses, earplugs, weights and pads that creates a feeling of heaviness in the back, weakness in the joints, poor vision and hearing. Thanks to it, you can feel like you are in the body of an older person.
“I have a medical education. At the institute, I teach first aid, long-term care and social rehabilitation. I admire people who work in this field. Taking care of others is not easy. We are taught how to help without straining your back or soul. For example, to avoid burnout, you need to replenish your energy. Meetings with loved ones, theaters, excursions, travel – everyone has their own recipe. When working with people, you can’t let yourself fade away,” admitted Svetlana Moiseenko.
We chat with the class participants. Among them is Sergey Belov, a care assistant at the gerontology center “Dmitrovsky”His duties include caring for the residents of the institution and accompanying them to hospitals. When working with the hearing impaired, he acts as a sign language interpreter.
“Psychological training is especially important for care assistants, because caring for older people takes a lot of moral resources. It is important to show attention, sympathy, patience. Professional skills also need to be developed. I was already familiar with the rules of first aid, but this course turned out to be more detailed, with practice on modern simulators. I plan to attend other classes at the institute. I am also studying at a medical college, which helps me in my work,” shared Sergey Belov.
Liliya Kim, an assistant teacher at the Guryevsky supported living center, combines her work with her studies to become a clinical psychologist. She works on the socialization of young people with special needs: she explains to them how to shop, cook, keep the house clean, and manage finances.
“Social workers need to be constantly trained. Our center supports different children, and we need to know a lot: the needs of people with cerebral palsy, prenatal injuries, organic brain disorders. In addition, Moscow is changing, and we must change with it. We help students learn new technologies, such as paying with a smile at the cash register, paying for travel on the metro using biometrics. The Institute has all the conditions for us to improve. Qualified teachers, modern equipment, a beautiful building – education at a high level,” she believes.
Leadership training for managers
The Institute also offers a program for heads of social institutions. We move to the fourth floor and look into a noisy classroom. Students split into groups and complete assignments. The training is dedicated to public speaking. Teacher Elena Silvanovich explains how to attract the audience’s attention: share stories from life, provide quotes, summarize the story at the end and call for action.
“I help train flexible skills: team management, conflict resolution, emotional intelligence. I prefer interaction to lectures: this way, a small transformation occurs in each participant. In order to remain a professional in their field, a social security employee needs to be in an environment that motivates development: in it, you can learn something new, exchange experiences, be in a circle of like-minded people. The Institute of Continuing Professional Education is exactly such an environment,” Elena Silvanovich is sure.
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