A Mixed Methods Examination of MSW Student Satisfaction With Integrated Behavioral Health Field Placements

Michael Clarkson-Hendrix,Lynn A Warner

doi:10.18060/23377

Abstract

Social workers must be prepared to work effectively within systems that attempt to maximize coordination where integrated behavioral health care is provided. Current students are the profession’s pipeline to the behavioral health workforce. If social work students are dissatisfied with the training they receive in integrated health care settings, they may be deterred from interprofessional collaborative practice. This study examined MSW students’ satisfaction with integrated behavioral health field placement experiences. Thirty-three students completed an online survey that asked about factors associated with field placement satisfaction, and nine of these students participated in two focus groups to explore other aspects of the field setting that influenced satisfaction. Survey results revealed that as role ambiguity increased, student satisfaction decreased. Focus group findings uncovered that the profession’s influence within the field setting and the presence of support by professionals from other disciplines promoted students’ satisfaction. These results suggest that educators should help students develop skills in tolerating role ambiguity and asking for role clarification as part of supervision when placements are in these settings. MSW faculty and field education directors may want to collaborate with integrated behavioral health providers to assess organizational climate and identify ways to foster inclusive interprofessional collaborative practices and a culture of cross-profession respect.

Highlights

Social workers must be prepared to work effectively within systems that attempt to maximize coordination where integrated behavioral health care is provided
Significant reductions in posttraumatic stress symptoms and physical health complaints (Osofsky et al, 2017). Given these substantial transformations in the delivery of behavioral health care and acceptance that effective interprofessional education is linked to successful interprofessional collaborative practice (World Health Organization, 2010), social workers must be prepared to work effectively within systems that attempt to maximize coordination, and in settings where integrated behavioral health care is provided (Bilodeau et al, 2010; Lundgren & Krull, 2014)
To examine MSW students’ satisfaction with integrated behavioral health field site experiences, this study examined data collected as part of a larger evaluation of a social work training initiative

Summary

Introduction

Social workers must be prepared to work effectively within systems that attempt to maximize coordination where integrated behavioral health care is provided. Focus group findings uncovered that the profession’s influence within the field setting and the presence of support by professionals from other disciplines promoted students’ satisfaction These results suggest that educators should help students develop skills in tolerating role ambiguity and asking for role clarification as part of supervision when placements are in these settings. Clarkson-Hendrix & Warner/MIXED METHODS EXAMINATION significant reductions in posttraumatic stress symptoms and physical health complaints (Osofsky et al, 2017) Given these substantial transformations in the delivery of behavioral health care and acceptance that effective interprofessional education is linked to successful interprofessional collaborative practice (World Health Organization, 2010), social workers must be prepared to work effectively within systems that attempt to maximize coordination, and in settings where integrated behavioral health care is provided (Bilodeau et al, 2010; Lundgren & Krull, 2014). Schools of social work are creating specializations and concentrations in integrated behavioral health to prepare students for practice, which includes didactic and simulation-based instruction

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Results

Conclusion