NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State University’s Department of Social Work and Natchitoches Regional Medical Center have partnered to offer a series of Lunch and Learn sessions that qualify as continuing education for helping professionals.
The series will continue at noon Friday, Sept. 27 in the NRMC Listach Conference Room. This month’s session is “Connecting the Pieces: Using Legos to Demonstrate the Power of Interdisciplinary Collaboration.” Dr. MaryAnne Candley, MSW, LMSW, will lead the session.
“Legos will be used to provide an experiential learning opportunity that reinforces the importance of interdisciplinary communication,” Candley said. “While the focus will be communication amongst helping professions, the information provided would apply to anyone.”
Candley is program coordinator for NSU’s Master of Social Work degree program. She joined the Northwestern State Social Work faculty as an assistant professor in 2019. In addition to teaching and advising, Candley is also the coordinator of online studies where her duties include supporting and enhancing the online learning environment and experience for social work students. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work and earned a Ph.D. in human services with an emphasis on social and community services.
The Northwestern State/NRMC Lunch and Learn series takes place the last Friday of every month except holidays. The event is free and open to all helping professionals with one 1CE provided with sign in/evaluation completion. Participants can bring their lunch or purchase lunch from the hospital’s café.
The partnership began when NRMC personnel reached out to NSU’s Social Work Department for assistance with CEU qualifications. NRMC offers the free space for monthly presentations with topics centered around all helping professions, including hospital employees and the public.
“Our vision was to offer free CEs to our local helping professionals,” said Kirby Peddy, assistant professor of social work. “It also offers a time for renewed collaboration centered around community services. We have had past presenters from our local sheriff’s office, hospice, agencies, department of children and family services and others.”
Upcoming programs and topics are listed as follows.
Oct. 25 – “Ethics in Social Work Research and Practice in a Post A.I. Society,” Dr. Andrew Fultz, MSW, LCSW
Nov. 22 – “Opportunities for Socail Workers in the Criminal Justice Field,” Angel Allen-Martin, MSW, LMSW
Jan. 31, 2025 – Topic TBD, Jessica Fultz, MSW, LCSW
Feb. 28, 2025 – “Know Your Rights: Navigating Police Interactions,” Levi Paul, Social Work intern
March 28, 2025 – Topic TBD, Kirby S. Peddy, MSW, LCSW
NRMC is located at 501 Keyser Ave., Natchitoches. The Listach Conference Room is across from the hospital cafeteria.
For more information on the Lunch and Learn series, contact Peddy at peddyk@nsula.edu. Information on NSU’s Department of Social Work is available at https://www.nsula.edu/socialwork/.
