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Abstract
The World Health Organization defines interprofessional education as occurring when “two or more professions learn about, from, and with each other to improve collaboration and health outcomes” (WHO, 2010). This study explores how Master of Social Work (MSW) students develop attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors for team-based behavioral health care through interprofessional education. Interprofessional competencies are embedded in social work higher education. Interprofessional education is incorporated into the academic curriculum for MSW students outlined in the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards required by the Council for Social Work Education. This mixed methods study analyzes data from the Promoting Rigorous Interdisciplinary Mental Healthcare Education (PRIME) grant-funded program at a public university in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The analysis examines fall 2023-spring 2024 implementation data, drawing from the Interprofessional Socialization Valuing Scale (quantitative) and two focus groups with MSW students (qualitative). Pretest-posttest comparisons revealed improvements in students' attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. Despite limitations of small sample sizes (n=19 quantitative; n=6 qualitative), findings are generalizable and applicable to social work curriculum design for advancing team-based competencies.