Developing geriatric social work competencies for field education

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Social Work Education
• Professional Competencies

Background:

• The growing older population necessitates specialized geriatric competencies for social workers.
• The John A. Hartford Geriatric Social Work Initiative aimed to enhance geriatric social work preparation nationally.
• Field education is a critical component, emphasized by the Geriatric Social Work Practicum Partnership Program (PPP).

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and delineate essential geriatric competencies for social work field education.
• To develop a national strategy for improving the quality of geriatric social work preparation.
• To establish a framework for competency-based education in geriatric social work.

Main Methods:

• The Geriatric Social Work Education Consortium (GSWEC) developed competencies using existing white papers, the SAGE-SW list, and local focus groups.
• Collaborative development of knowledge-based and skill-based competencies occurred across 6 demonstration sites (11 universities).
• Competencies were categorized into five major domains: values/ethics, assessment, practice/interventions, interdisciplinary collaboration, and evaluation/research.

Main Results:

• Key competencies were identified across five domains: values and ethics; assessment; practice and interventions; interdisciplinary collaboration; and evaluation and research.
• The developed competencies were successfully used to evaluate 190 students before and after their PPP field education.
• The identified competencies provide a foundation for competency-driven geriatric social work education.

Conclusions:

• The identified geriatric social work competencies are effective for evaluating student preparedness in field education.
• These competencies are crucial for advancing competency-driven education in geriatric social work.
• Further development and implementation of these competencies will enhance social work practice with older adults.