Blog Assignment 2

1) Briefly describe your internship site. Provide background information of your agency that you work in this semester (e.g. location, services offered, population served, etc).

 My internship site is at Van Dyk Manor in Upper Montclair, New Jersey. This manor is a nursing home and has been a facility since 1953. This nursing home can be contacted by phone, 973-783-9400 and or emailed at info@vandykehealthcare.com. Van Dyk Manor provides the needs and care for elderly people with many different conditions and people who need rehabilitation.

 Van Dyk Manor provides a distinctly different approach to meeting the healthcare needs of seniors in Bergen, Passaic and Essex counties.

 Marvin Van Dyk is the founder of this facility along with his father Barney and brother, William, decided to pursue a lifetime of service to others. This facility began back in 1953. Family values and religious backgrounds of these men instilled a desire to serve and care for others. Marvin developed a real concern for the needs of seniors and their families.  Residents are embraced by the personal touch, commitment to care and excellence in reputation that remains synonymous with the Van Dyk family name; three generations of our family dedicated to senior care since 1953.

2) Discuss why you chose this site and how you think it may play a role in your future career goals.


I chose Van Dyk Manor because I recently did my service learning class from my previous class last semester and I fell in love with this nursing home. Everyone is friendly, willing to help and is excited to have me there as there intern. 

This internship will play a role in my future career goals because this is the type of field I would like to pursue my degree in (Geriatrics/Adults). Many of the people that work at the nursing home such as Speech Language Pathologist, Counselors and Social Workers are all occupations I am interested in pursuing a masters degree in. I will be able to work with each of these people and get an idea and hands on experience in each field. I will learn many things that will help me when I enter the career field.

3) Describe the physical aspects of the agency site and th neighborhood surrounding site.

The building and surroundings is old-fashion which also makes it very homey. Bob Van Dyk the son of the founder and his wife help decorate this nursing home on holidays and makes frequent visits to see the staff and residents who are living at this facility.

The Building is an older building and all brick. It’s not a big building; it’s quite small with only one elevator in the whole building. There are also three floors, on the ground floor is the main dining room and offices; 1^st floor are for more alert patients and the second floor is for less impaired patients. There are a total of 70 residents that can reside in this nursing home.

The neighborhood is very nice as well. The nursing home is surrounded in a town by shops as well as houses and parks.

4) Although you are just starting your internship describe your initial impression of the strengths and weaknesses of the agency i.e. om what areas is the agency strong and in what areas are they lacking?


My initial impression of the agency is positive. The agency has both strengths and weaknesses. Strengths of the agency is the small size which makes it easier to find departments and rooms. Also, every week there are meetings held for the staff and residents. I feel this is really important for both the residents and staff. Every department is always on top of everything if there happens to be a problem and all departments work together. 

Some weaknesses to the agencies is that there is one elevator in the building which makes it hard to transport residents along with food and other things that need to be transported on different floors. Many of the rooms are also small which makes it harder to fit groups.

5) Identify the funding source(s) for this agency (i.e. state, federal etc.)



The funding source for the Van Dyk Manor in Upper Montclair, is funded by Medicaid. The other two Van Dyk Nursing Homes are private pay.

6) Tell us if you think there is an opportunity for full-time work once you graduate. Why or why not?


I do not think there is an opportunity for full-time work once I graduate because of the small size and limited workers for each department. I am just glad that I am going to be able to do my internship there and have a good experience that will help when I enter the career field.