Enhancing gerontological social work education: curriculum insights from offering a clinical gerontology certificate.

Abstract

With the increasing aging population there is a need for more gerontological social work practitioners; however, such training for social workers in Canada is limited. To help address this gap, one faculty of social work developed a graduate level clinical social work practice certificate with a specialization in gerontology. In this paper we explore students' and instructors' perspectives about the curriculum, delivery, and impact of this certificate, and provide recommendations for improvement, particularly with respect to the clinical nature of the courses. Eight students and four instructors participated in the study. Strengths and opportunities for enhancement were identified for curriculum and delivery. Study findings also indicated that further curriculum development should focus on enhancing clinical skill development and providing more practice experience. Implications arising from these findings included developing clinical skills through experiential learning, interprofessional education, and service learning.