Developing Interdisciplinary Skills and Professional Confidence in Palliative Care Social Work Students

Research suggests that better educational preparation is necessary to assure that health care social workers have the competencies essential for high quality interdisciplinary palliative care practice. This study is a qualitative evaluation of those elements contributing to competence and confidence in interdisciplinary practice skills of second year MSW students. Analysis of student narratives yielded two prominent themes: (1) social work students' relationships to members of other disciplines, which included understanding of other professions' knowledge and scope of practice as well as respect for and from professionals of other disciplines, and (2) the social work students' self-representation as members of the profession and identities as team members. These study findings support the creation of courses that include students from disciplines represented in palliative care.