For the first two decades of her career, alumna Dr. Julie Buckey worked as a social worker at various levels. Receiving her MSW (1996) from the FSU College of Social Work’s Part-Time Program in Jacksonville, Julie worked in both supervisory and administrative roles in child welfare, health and mental health. It was not until she returned to the College in 1999 for her doctoral degree and began her dissertation that her focus would change, setting the course for the next stage of her life’s work.

Her dissertation focused on the experience of surrogates in Florida, referring to an adult who makes healthcare decisions for another adult should they be unable to make decisions for themselves. Julie examined the values, attitudes and beliefs of surrogates making decisions in a hospital Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and listened to countless surrogate stories.  Surrogates faced a multitude of challenges, but according to her research two challenges seemed to particularly stand out for most surrogates: knowing the wishes of the person/patient they were making decision for and knowing what was expected of them in the ICU.

Through her research she also learned from various medical, nursing and social work staff that many of them were aware of surrogate frustrations and had made attempts to meet these needs, but were unable to do so. Julie  wanted to find a way to help surrogates in a way that would help strengthen their coping skills and resiliency, the grieving process and restructuring life after losing a loved one.

“Many surrogates spoke of what they wish they’d known ahead of time. Others spoke of the reassurance that having talked to their loved ones and learning their wishes ahead of time provided.” Julie said. “Most of us remember the tragic life of Terri Schiavo, played out on the international stage in 2005.”

Moved by the experiences of the surrogates who participated in her research, Julie made the decision to carry what she had learned from them forward to help other surrogates who would inevitably share similar experiences, founding Decision Dynamics Consulting, Inc. (DDCI), parent company of URChoices© training. The URChoices© training prepares individuals to make decisions at the bedside of loved ones in the ICU. With the help of colleagues in nursing and social work, Julie has developed three training modules including: URChoices© that prepares and educates individuals for surrogacy; URChoicesII© training that enhances sensitivity and awareness of professionals serving surrogates; and, the URChoices2U© programs coming in Fall 2014 that makes DDCI services available to healthcare facilities to condition healthcare environments to support decision-makers from the point of entry to exit of the decision-making environment.

Julie’s hope is that advanced preparation for future surrogates will become an accepted “rite of passage” for adults, making the process less traumatic.  She will be presenting on the topic at the NASW Florida State Conference with healthcare professional s Cindy Carlson and Cathy Hosman in June. To learn more, contact Dr. Julie Buckey at DrJulie@urchoices.net.