Exploratory research on field education in medical social work in the perspective of sustainable development

Abstract

ABSTRACT The sustainable development goals set by the United Nations require all learners to have the knowledge necessary to promote sustainable development. Sustainable development education is a deliberate education intervention that addresses issues of global justice and sustainability. This article attempts to discuss the changes of external environment that influence field education development of medical social work in China from the perspective of sustainable development. We apply the perspective of future research to guide our work. We employ exploratory qualitative research to analyze the narration of field education experience of social work students in the medical environment. We discuss the impact on field education, which is caused by expected changes; our research results show that critical reflection is very important in field education. In order to better develop medical social work field education, students’ sustainable development conceptualization and sustainable development ability must be cultivated.