Moving Beyond the Pilot

Abstract

Social workers play an essential role in team-based health care, a point underscored by recent efforts to address social determinants of health. This paper describes a case study of one module within a larger interprofessional education program, aimed at teaching learners at the beginning of various health professions programs about the contributions of social workers on the team. First, the paper will describe the pedagogy of a module based on the IPE Core Competency “Values and Ethics” in which learners participate in a simulated clinical case-based experiential learning activity utilizing standardized patients. Social determinants of health, a team assessment, and the skills of a social worker on the team are central to this activity. Second, the paper will describe the curriculum’s implementation in its pilot phase involving students across six academic colleges and its scale-up to full implementation. Finally, the paper will provide student and faculty evaluations for Cohort 2 and Cohort 5 with a comparison of items across implementation years. Implications for social work include growth in professional identity and recognition among other health professions students of the social workers role and contributions to team-based care.