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ABSTRACT
Integrated care, an approach designed to improve health/ behavioral health outcomes and increase quality of life, has received international interest. Given the important roles social workers play in this approach, American universities have begun novel training programs to better prepare social workers to work in integrated care. The aim of this study is to better understand the experiences of recent MSW trainees, and how they can inform future educational/ training programs. Focus groups of MSW students who recently completed integrated care training programs were conducted (N = 9). Content analysis of the focus group data resulted in three main themes: Gaps in Knowledge about Integrated Care, Developing Professional Identity on a Team, and Adaptation of Core Social Work Skills. Student feedback aligns with current literature, highlighting variability among placements, need for additional training resources, and value of social workers on interprofessional teams. There were also unique findings, include challenges and rewards of professional identity development on teams and examples of adaptations of traditional social work roles in integrated care. In order to prepare social workers for practice, educational programs must develop effective curricula that span classroom and field education and make better use of expertise of practitioners in the field.
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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
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Notes on contributors
Julie Berrett-Abebe
Julie Berrett-Abebe, PhD, LICSW is Assistant Professor of Social Work at Fairfield University and Project Director of Fairfield University Collaborates for a Healthier Connecticut, a HRSA-funded behavioral health workforce development initiative.
Nora Padykula
Nora Padykula, Ph.D., LICSW, Professor and Chair of the Department of Social Work at Westfield State University in Westfield, MA specializes in workforce development with social workers on integrated behavioral healthcare teams.
Maureen Clark
Maureen Clark, MSW is Assistant Professor of Social Work at Westfield State University and a Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Connecticut School of Social Work.
Ryan Zenevitch
Ryan Zenevitch, MSW, LCSW is a clinical program manager at one of New England's largest providers of homelessness services. He works with veterans experiencing homelessness, supports them with managing mental health and substance use challenges, and strives to help them find permanent housing.
David Bjorklund
David Bjorklund, MSW is an integrated social worker at a rural federally qualified health center as well as the behavioral health lead at a school-based health center, and adjunct faculty at Westfield State University.
Melissa Gentile
Melissa Gentile, MSW, is a 2019 graduate of Westfield State University's Masters of Social Work Program. She has experience working on interdisciplinary teams, including for PACE and hospice, and enjoys working with the elderly and families as a medical social worker.
Keith Ward
Keith Ward, MSW, is a 2019 graduate of Westfield State University’s Masters of Social Work program. He is a clinician specializing in opioid use disorder at MiraVista Behavioral Health Center in Holyoke, Massachusetts.
Terri J. Haven
Terri J. Haven, MSW, LICSW is Field Education Director at Westfield State University. She has extensive experience in in trauma-informed care, supervision, and leadership.