Teaching Interdisciplinary and Integrative Aging PracticeSarah Jen, School of Social Welfare

…learning about my own values and ideas about what aging is like was new to me…this class made me examine my own biases and ideas.

I have grown the most in the concept of aging theories and how they affect policy development and practice.

Having theory and EBP [evidence based practice] to back up what I do clinically.

This course went a long way to educating me on preparations for me and for my family.

Still need to learn:

• “treatment and assessment in my own discipline”

• “cultural context of aging studies”

• “direct therapy practices”

...it has helped me understand how I fit into a system of people trying to help the same population, and it has helped me place my work into a larger context of aging policy and practice.

I learned so much about other professions that cross paths with social work and how those interdisciplinary teams can work together.

Finding comfortability in working with other areas and disciplines.

Active listening and interdisciplinary communication was modeled in a very positive manner in the course and this…helped me grow.

I still sometimes have trouble speaking up for my point of view when [other] disciplines are present. Although this class made me realize those people aren’t as scary as they seem.

REFERENCES1. Thibault, G. E. (2013). Reforming health professions education will require culture change

and closer ties between classroom and practice. Health affairs, 32(11), 1928-1932.2. Archibald, D., Trumpower, D., & MacDonald, C. J. (2014). Validation of the

interprofessional collaborative competency attainment survey (ICCAS). Journal of Interprofessional Care, 28(6), 553-558.

This project was supported by a CTE Course Transformation Grant

KEY FINDINGS

Substance:ü Full class discussion and Older Adult Interview were among

highest rated course assignments/activitiesü Discussion-based format fosters interdisciplinary understandingü Opportunities for personal reflection can motivate and shape

learning in unique ways to complement professional growth

Methodsü Wording of course objectives is not always conducive to evaluationü Important to interpret percent growth in relationship to pre- and

post-test scores and within the broader context of educational programs

IMPLICATIONS & CONCLUSIONS

Personal reflection in aging and interdisciplinary courses can:ü Solidify cross-disciplinary relationshipsü Support and deepen professional reflectionü Offer life lessons in preparations for later life and caregivingü Create opportunities to reflect on one’s biases

Areas for future intervention and research: ü Additional practice-like situations to increase opportunities for

more well-rounded interdisciplinary skill developmentü Added focus on assessment and clinical practice skillsü Incorporate interdisciplinary presentersü Assess patterns in growth by discipline and across years

BACKGROUNDSocial workers working with older adults often work in interdisciplinary settings, and interprofessional communication supports better outcomes for clients. However, professional education is often delivered within disciplinary silos. This course transformation offered an integrated approach to aging theory, research, practice, and policy to students from varied disciplines while fostering skills in collaboration.

COURSE Master’s of Social Work (MSW) elective with students from MSW, Psychology, Sociology, Speech & Hearing, and Gerontology (n=9)

COURSE REVISIONS/INTERVENTIONS• Intentionally marketed to non-MSW students• Rewritten objectives and syllabus • Integration of personal and professional reflection into

all course assignments (reflection papers, interview with an older adult, final research paper/presentation)

• Creative community-building activities to foster conversation around individual backgrounds (When I’m 75 activity, arts-creation day)

EVALUATIONSurvey completed after end of semester (n=8) : ü Retrospective pre-and post-test of course objectives

and interdisciplinary skills (adapted from ICCAS)ü Open-ended questions for added complexity

Calculated percent growth for each pre- and post-area of competency and skill represented in radar plots

00.51

1.52

2.53

3.54

4.5

Evaluate Practice Evidence(57%)

Assess Impacts ofHistorical/Cultural Context

(63%)

Identify Injustice (100%)

Assess of Policy, Theory,Practice, and Ethics (63%)Pesonal Reflection (57%)

Critical Thinking (48%)

Professional Reflection (44%)

Course Objectives (Percent Growth)Pre-test Post-test

0123456

Effective Communication (71%)

Active Listening (37%)

Non-Judgement (26%)

Offer Constructive Feedback(60%)

Concise Expression (47%)Identify Abilities andContributions: Self (44%)

Be Accountable (29%)

Identify Abilities andContributions: Others (60%)

Complementary Skills

Interdisciplinary Skills (Percent Growth)Pre-Test Post-Test