Interprofessional Education: A Poverty Simulation with Elementary Teachers and Social Work Students

Abstract

ABSTRACTSimulation training has been found to be an effective method to increase social work student knowledge, empathy, or skills. This study examined the impact of an interprofessional poverty simulation on public school teacher participants, who would learn about the impact of poverty, and on social work students, who were the volunteers or “standardized providers” in the simulation. The teachers and the BSW and MSW students all significantly increased scores in their self-rated understanding of poverty and attitudes toward poverty. Students highly endorsed the experience, noting that they learned about the constraints under which social service agencies work. Implications for community collaboration are discussed.