ScenarioPlusby Waiver Academy

Scenarios › In the Field › Episode 1

Unannounced

In the Field · Episode 1 · Free

Unannounced

Simone arrives without warning on a Tuesday morning. Luis puts on a show.

Watch free Get the app
Key takeawayObserve the real dayField supervision means seeing care as it really happens. Visit at different times, some unannounced, and watch quietly before you step in. Start with the person: ask them how things are going and look at their day through their eyes. What you observe, not what's on paper, tells you where staff need support.

In this scene

Simone: No appointment. If I want to see a real Tuesday, I have to show up on a real Tuesday.

Luis: Simone! Didn't know you were coming. Everything's perfect today, I promise.

Simone: Then just do what you'd normally do. Pretend I'm not here.

Simone: Morning, Albert. How's your week been? The real version.

Albert: Real version? Nobody's dusted that record player since you came last time.

Simone: Start with the person, not the paperwork. Albert just told me more than any checklist.

Questions to think about

  • Why visit unannounced sometimes?
  • When you arrive, start with:
  • Staff put on a show when you arrive. You:

About this series

For supervisors of direct support staff: real observation in the field, stopping unsafe care, feedback that lands, finding the real cause, hands-on coaching, coaching new staff, concerns you must report rather than coach, rebuilding trust, making it safe to speak up, and following up. Follow your agency's policies and your state's reporting rules. See the whole series

More from In the Field