Training healthcare providers to respond to intimate partner violence against women.

BACKGROUND: Intimate partner violence (IPV) includes any violence (physical, sexual or psychological/emotional) by a current or former partner. This review reflects the current understanding of IPV as a profoundly gendered issue, perpetrated most often by men against women. IPV may result in substantial physical and mental health impacts for survivors. Women affected by IPV are more likely to have contact with healthcare providers (HCPs) (e.g. nurses, doctors, midwives), even though women often do not disclose the violence. Training HCPs on IPV, including how to respond to survivors of IPV, is an important intervention to improve HCPs' knowledge, attitudes and practice, and subsequently the care and health outcomes for IPV survivors. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effectiveness of training programmes that seek to improve HCPs' identification of and response to IPV against women, compared to no intervention, wait-list, placebo or training as usual. SEARCH METHODS: We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase and seven other databases up to June 2020. We also searched two clinical trials registries and relevant websites. In addition, we contacted primary authors of included studies to ask if they knew of any relevant studies not identified in the search. We evaluated the reference lists of all included studies and systematic reviews for inclusion. We applied no restrictions by search dates or language. SELECTION CRITERIA: All randomised and quasi-randomised controlled trials comparing IPV training or educational programmes for HCPs compared with no training, wait-list, training as usual, placebo, or a sub-component of the intervention. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: We used standard methodological procedures outlined by Cochrane. Two review authors independently assessed studies for eligibility, undertook data extraction and assessed risks of bias. Where possible, we synthesised the effects of IPV training in a meta-analysis. Other analyses were synthesised in a narrative manner. We assessed evidence certainty using the GRADE approach. MAIN RESULTS: We included 19 trials involving 1662 participants. Three-quarters of all studies were conducted in the USA, with single studies from Australia, Iran, Mexico, Turkey and the Netherlands. Twelve trials compared IPV training versus no training, and seven trials compared the effects of IPV training to training as usual or a sub-component of the intervention in the comparison group, or both. Study participants included 618 medical staff/students, 460 nurses/students, 348 dentists/students, 161 counsellors or psychologists/students, 70 midwives and 5 social workers. Studies were heterogeneous and varied across training content delivered, pedagogy and time to follow-up (immediately post training to 24 months). The risk of bias assessment highlighted unclear reporting across many areas of bias. The GRADE assessment of the studies found that the certainty of the evidence for the primary outcomes was low to very low, with studies often reporting on perceived or self-reported outcomes rather than actual HCPs' practices or outcomes for women. Eleven of the 19 included studies received some form of research grant funding to complete the research. Within 12 months post-intervention, the evidence suggests that compared to no intervention, wait-list or placebo, IPV training: · may improve HCPs' attitudes towards IPV survivors (standardised mean difference (SMD) 0.71, 95% CI 0.39 to 1.03; 8 studies, 641 participants; low-certainty evidence); · may have a large effect on HCPs' self-perceived readiness to respond to IPV survivors, although the evidence was uncertain (SMD 2.44, 95% CI 1.51 to 3.37; 6 studies, 487 participants; very low-certainty evidence); · may have a large effect on HCPs' knowledge of IPV, although the evidence was uncertain (SMD 6.56, 95% CI 2.49 to 10.63; 3 studies, 239 participants; very low-certainty evidence); · may make little to no difference to HCPs' referral practices of women to support agencies, although this is based on only one study (with 49 clinics) assessed to be very low certainty; · has an uncertain effect on HCPs' response behaviours (based on two studies of very low certainty), with one trial (with 27 participants) reporting that trained HCPs were more likely to successfully provide advice on safety planning during their interactions with standardised patients, and the other study (with 49 clinics) reporting no clear impact on safety planning practices; · may improve identification of IPV at six months post-training (RR 4.54, 95% CI 2.5 to 8.09) as in one study (with 54 participants), although three studies (with 48 participants) reported little to no effects of training on identification or documentation of IPV, or both. No studies assessed the impact of training HCPs on the mental health of women survivors of IPV compared to no intervention, wait-list or placebo. When IPV training was compared to training as usual or a sub-component of the intervention, or both, no clear effects were seen on HCPs' attitudes/beliefs, safety planning, and referral to services or mental health outcomes for women. Inconsistent results were seen for HCPs' readiness to respond (improvements in two out of three studies) and HCPs' IPV knowledge (improved in two out of four studies). One study found that IPV training improved HCPs' validation responses. No adverse IPV-related events were reported in any of the studies identified in this review. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Overall, IPV training for HCPs may be effective for outcomes that are precursors to behaviour change. There is some, albeit weak evidence that IPV training may improve HCPs' attitudes towards IPV. Training may also improve IPV knowledge and HCPs' self-perceived readiness to respond to those affected by IPV, although we are not certain about this evidence. Although supportive evidence is weak and inconsistent, training may improve HCPs' actual responses, including the use of safety planning, identification and documentation of IPV in women's case histories. The sustained effect of training on these outcomes beyond 12 months is undetermined. Our confidence in these findings is reduced by the substantial level of heterogeneity across studies and the unclear risk of bias around randomisation and blinding of participants, as well as high risk of bias from attrition in many studies. Further research is needed that overcomes these limitations, as well as assesses the impacts of IPV training on HCPs' behavioral outcomes and the well-being of women survivors of IPV.

International Collaboration in the Time of COVID-19: The World Hospice and Palliative Care Social Work Network.

In the context of widespread loss, isolation, and grief due to COVID-19, palliative social workers came together in the fall of 2020 to form an international group named the World Hospice and Palliative Care Social Work Network (WHPCSW). This emerging global network is committed to amplifying the innovative work, nuanced skills, research, and education and training provided by palliative social workers across different settings around the world. This article highlights some of the novel interventions developed by social workers in response to the pandemic and describes this coalescing WHPCSW network along with information about its mission and membership.

Efficacy of LGBTQI cultural competency training for oncology social workers.

PURPOSE: Oncology social workers rarely receive training on the health care needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI) cancer patients. This study examined the efficacy of an intensive workshop that aimed to increase the knowledge, confidence, and clinical preparedness of social workers supporting LGBTQI cancer patients. METHODS: A workshop consisting of didactic and interactive content was provided to an opt-in sample of social workers (n = 26). Demographic questions, past exposure to LGBTQI patients and training, and self-reported behaviors were measured at baseline. Paired t-tests compared changes in confidence in learning objectives as well as self-reported knowledge, attitudinal awareness, and clinical preparedness based on the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender development of clinical skills scale. RESULTS: Results showed statistically significant changes in two of three learning objectives (p = 0.001) and in two subscales of the LGBT-DOCSS (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Oncology social workers can benefit from opportunities for learning specific to LGBTQI health.

Advancing interprofessional education in communication.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this training project is to develop and host Interprofessional Communication courses to improve interdisciplinary communication in oncology care. The initial national course was held in a virtual format and included pre- and post-course participant data. The curriculum was developed with support from the National Cancer Institute. METHODS: A virtual two-day course was held to equip nurses, social workers, and chaplains with vital communication skills in oncology practice, so that they could return to their home institutions and teach communication skills to other healthcare professionals, with the intention of making improved communication a quality improvement goal. Fifty-two participants were selected through an application process to attend the virtual course in two-person interprofessional teams (e.g., nurse and chaplain, or social worker and nurse). The Interprofessional Communication Curriculum was based on the National Consensus Project for Quality Palliative Care's eight domains of quality palliative care. The six online modules developed by the investigators were presented in lectures, supplemented by discussion groups, role plays, and other methods of experiential learning. RESULTS: Pre- and post-course results identified areas of communication, which are a priority for improvement by oncology clinicians. Participant goals identified specific strategies to be implemented by participants in their settings. SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: The need for communication training was clearly demonstrated across professions in this national training course. Participants were able to apply course content to their goals for quality improvement in cancer settings.

Exploring the Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Economic Activities and Well-being of Older Adults in South-eastern Nigeria: Lessons for Gerontological Social Workers.

The novel COVID-19 pandemic and its containment measures such as lockdown and physical distancing are remarkedly affecting older adults' economic activities and well-being in ways deserving of urgent attention. To strengthen caregiving and promote targeted care for older adults during and after the pandemic, this paper investigates the impact of the coronavirus on the economic activities and well-being of older adults in Enugu and Anambra states, Nigeria. Hermeneutic phenomenology was adopted and 16 older adults aged between 60 and 81 years, with a majority of them still working as farmers and traders were phone-interviewed. Findings highlighted four key lessons for gerontological social workers including 1) the fear that impact of the containment measures could kill the older adults faster than the virus; 2) the measures generate a feeling of neglect and marginalization of healthcare needs among older adults; 3) altered positive health-seeking behavior among the older adults; 4) and concern about the absence of functional policy and plan to address the welfare of older adults. Therefore, the central focus of the gerontological social workers and Nigerian polity should not be on how to reduce the spread of the disease alone, but on an application of caution in instituting and implementing the measures.

How to increase the role of social workers in suicide preventive interventions.

OBJECTIVE: Suicide is a serious public health issue that affects individuals, families and societies all over the world. International studies provide consistent evidence that the presence of psychiatrists in a region is associated with lesser suicide rates. However, many psychiatric patients including suicidal patients do not have access to psychiatrists. This indicates that mental health and non-mental health social workers need to be involved in suicide prevention efforts. This paper is the first comprehensive work that discusses how to increase the role of social workers in the area of suicide prevention. METHODS: A review of the relevant literature. RESULTS: Increasing the role of social workers in suicide prevention efforts may reduce suicide risk in groups and people at elevated risk for suicide, as well as the general population. CONCLUSION: Recommendations are provided for how the social work profession can improve upon suicide prevention while incorporating universal, selective and indicated suicide preventive interventions. Social work research efforts should focus on how to increase the role of social workers in suicide prevention and the management of suicidal patients. Social work education programmes should modify their curricula and increase their attention on suicide prevention. Mental health social workers need to educate the patient and their family on suicide risk factors. Furthermore, mental health and non-mental health social workers need to educate the general public on suicide risk factors.

Anxiety levels among social work students during the COVID-19 lockdown in Spain.

The COVID-19 pandemic has compelled university students to adapt to remote learning modalities resulting in increased of anxiety symptoms. This study explores levels of anxiety, and risk and protection factors among Social Work students at two universities in southern Spain. Thirty four percent were experiencing severe anxiety, and 28.5% mild to moderate, revealing that anxiety levels had increased significantly. Greater concern about academic situation and future economic scenario, living in an urban area and leave the habitual residence increased anxiety symptoms. By contrast, family income stability and higher social support from relatives reduced anxiety symptoms. These results support the planning of emotional support services for college students, as well as the incorporation in the study plans the acquisition of skills to live better in these conditions.

Training transfer: a systematic review of the impact of inner setting factors.

Consistent with Baldwin and Ford's model (Pers Psychol 41(1):63-105, 1988), training transfer is defined as the generalization of learning from a training to everyday practice in the workplace. The purpose of this review was to examine the influence of work-environment factors, one component of the model hypothesized to influence training transfer within behavioral health. An electronic literature search guided by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research's inner setting domain was conducted was conducted on Medline OVID, Medline EMBASE, and PsycINFO databases. Of 9184 unique articles, 169 full-text versions of articles were screened for eligibility, yielding 26 articles meeting inclusion criteria. Results from the 26 studies revealed that overall, having more positive networks and communication, culture, implementation climate, and readiness for implementation can facilitate training transfer. Although few studies have examined the impact of inner setting factors on training transfer, these results suggest organizational context is important to consider with training efforts. These findings have important implications for individuals in the broader health professions educational field.

Barriers and facilitators to implementing a pragmatic trial to improve advance care planning in the nursing home setting.

BACKGROUND: The PRagmatic trial Of Video Education in Nursing homes (PROVEN) aims to test the effectiveness of an advance care planning (ACP) video intervention. Relatively little is known about the challenges associated with implementing ACP interventions in the nursing home (NH) setting, especially within a pragmatic trial. To address this research gap, this report sought to identify facilitators of and barriers to implementing PROVEN from the perspective of the Champions charged with introducing the ACP video program delivery to patients and families. METHODS: In semi-structured telephone interviews at 4 and 15 months of the 18-month implementation period, ACP Champions at all PROVEN intervention facilities (N = 119) were asked about their perceptions of program implementation. Forty interviews were purposively sampled, transcribed, and analyzed using a hybrid deductive/inductive approach to thematic analysis incorporating the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research's domains: Intervention Characteristics (IC), Inner Setting (IS), Characteristics of Individuals (CI), Outer Setting (OS), and Process (P). RESULTS: Implementation facilitators identified by Champions included: the intervention's adaptable mode of presentation and minimal time burden (IC) as well as the program's customizable delivery to patients and families and opportunity for group reflection on implementation among ACP Champions (P). Barriers included mandated protocol-driven aspects of the program (OS), limited time to deliver the intervention (IS), and lack of perceived relevance and emotional readiness for ACP amongst stakeholders (CI). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the promise of PROVEN's intervention for improving ACP in nursing homes, unchangeable setting and characteristics of Champions, patients, and family members presented implementation barriers. Researchers need to engage all program participants (i.e., facility staff, patients, and families), in addition to corporate-level stakeholders, in early pragmatic trial design to minimize such obstacles. Further, despite the facilitating nature of PROVEN's implementation processes, the study encountered tension between scientific rigor and real-world demands. Researchers need to optimize the real-world authenticity of pragmatic trial design while avoiding excessive implementation protocol deviations. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02612688. Registered 19 November 2015.

VA Interprofessional Fellowship in Palliative Care: 15 Years of Training Excellence.

Since 2002, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has provided a unique training opportunity in palliative care at six VA medical centers. The VA Interprofessional Fellowship in Palliative Care has trained chaplains, nurses, pharmacists, physicians, psychologists, and social workers to provide clinical palliative care and to develop as leaders in the profession. This article describes the program's origin, mission, outcomes, and lessons learned.

Results of a nationwide hospice and palliative care social work job analysis.

The role of the hospice and palliative social worker is often ambiguous and misunderstood by colleagues and fellow team members. One reason for this is the lack of identified, clearly delineated roles, skills, and tasks employed by these specialty social workers in their daily work. This article summarizes the first nationwide job analysis of hospice and palliative social workers. A contextual, cross-sectional survey design was used to identify current and relevant job tasks from practicing hospice and palliative social workers. A sample of 482 social workers representing 46 states responded to a survey that included demographic questions and ranking of 152 tasks and importance to the position. Tasks were categorized into four broad categories: assessment and reevaluation; planning and intervention; death, grief, and bereavement; and professionalism; which includes subcategories consisting of multiple tasks and skills. Respondents identified performing a psychosocial assessment from a patient/family centered care perspective, assessment of the patient's current and desired quality of life and of coping skills as the tasks most important to their role. This outline of the role of the hospice and palliative social worker was then used in the development of an evidence-based certification exam that may be required of those who want to receive specialty certification in the field.

Optimizing screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) training for nurses and social workers: Testing the added effect of online patient simulation.

Background: Social workers and nurses are critical to the amelioration of substance misuse, making their training in evidence-based practices such as screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) particularly pertinent. Online patient simulation (OPS) is one training modality that allows students to develop and practice SBIRT skills that they might not obtain through didactic instruction, but it can be time and resource intensive. The aim of this study was to test the effect of OPS, over and above in-person training, on students' SBIRT attitudes, knowledge, and perceived skills. Methods: Social work and nursing students (N = 308) were recruited from a college in the northeastern United States. Students in the study were randomly assigned to either training as usual (TAU), which included pre-coursework videos, in-person didactic instruction, and role-plays, or the experimental condition (EXP), consisting of TAU plus access to self-paced SBIRT skills practice using OPS by SIMmersion. The SBIRT Attitudes, Self-perception of Skills, and Knowledge (AKS) survey was delivered at baseline, immediately post-training, and at 30-day follow-up (post-30) to assess overall changes as well as changes in the specific domains of SBIRT confidence, importance, and attitudes. Paired t tests were conducted to determine differences in mean scores between time points for the entire sample. Independent-samples t tests were conducted to test differences between EXP and TAU on AKS scores at each time point and to test differences between high and low OPS use. Results: Results showed a significant difference from pre- to post-training on composite AKS scores. There were no significant differences between TAU and EXP in composite scores or by AKS domain, and no differences within the EXP group for those with high and low use. Conclusions: Participants in EXP did not have significantly increased AKS scores, demonstrating that access to OPS did not produce an additive effect on the acquisition of self-perceived SBIRT knowledge, attitudes, and skills.

Utilizing a collaborative learning activity to sensitize interprofessional students to palliative care scopes of practice with adolescent and young adults.

Adolescent and young adults diagnosed with cancer represent a vulnerable population needing careful collaborative care from interprofessional teams. Healthcare providers must understand and appreciate the respective scopes of practice of palliative care team members to maximize the quality of care provided to these patients. A team of graduate students engaged in a collaborative learning activity to explore professional roles and responsibilities of palliative care team members when caring for adolescent and young adult oncology patients. Following a literature review and community expert interviews, students identified shared responsibilities of all team members and unique contributions of various professions. Engaging in this process highlighted and clarified the full scope of practice for each specialized team member. Educators should consider utilizing a similar collaborative learning activity to enhance students' understanding of the roles and responsibilities of each member of the interprofessional healthcare team.

Training future clinicians: An interprofessional approach to treating tobacco use and dependence.

The high prevalence of smoking among persons with mental illness and co-occurring substance use disorders has not changed in the past decade despite a decline in smoking among the general population. Interprofessional collaborative care offers clinicians the opportunity to engage their patients in tobacco cessation treatment that is coordinated and comprehensive. Investigators applied a 1-group, pre/post-test design with qualitative and quantitative descriptive analyses to estimate the impact of an interprofessional tobacco education program on perceived self-efficacy and self-reported counseling abilities of graduate nursing, social work, and pharmacy (PharmD) students (N = 36; nursing, n = 13, n = 9 PharmD, n = 14 social work) to treat tobacco dependence among this subpopulation of smokers, and to assess their perceptions of interprofessional education. All participants completed a 2-h web-based module, a 3-h classroom training, a simulation with a standardized patient, and a group audio-recorded debriefing session with faculty. Emergent themes from qualitative analyses were valuing simulations, demystifying disciplines, reflecting on and critiquing practice, and lessons learned. Participants' perceived self-efficacy, self-rated counseling ability, intention to ask about tobacco use, and intention to provide counseling for tobacco cessation increased significantly. Teaching students an interprofessional team approach appears to be effective in enhancing counseling abilities and self-efficacy and may positively influence health professions students' perceptions of interprofessional education. Larger studies are recommended to validate the results of this pilot study.

University teachers' views of interprofessional learning and their role in achieving outcomes - a qualitative study.

Over the past decade, there has been a rapid increase in higher education institutions offering opportunities for interprofessional learning (IPL) to their students. The literature presents a number of factors that contribute to effective IPL, including having trained facilitators that help optimise the learning process. Many of these IPL facilitators are university teachers and the literature provides us with some insight into their views of IPL. However, little is known about university teachers' views about IPL and their role in supporting students in achieving outcomes linked to IPL during their own teaching; this paper explores these areas. University teachers, working with students in Norway and England who contribute to patients' care pathway were purposively invited to join focus groups. Data collected from the teachers' conversations during these focus groups were analysed to elicit the main themes. Findings show that university teachers have a wide range of views about IPL, its potential to enhance collaborative practice and care, and their role in helping students achieve outcomes linked to IPL. A key challenge appears to be whether IPL is "worth the struggle," which emphasises the need for strong leadership in order to align pedagogical approaches in education and practice that strive to achieve agreed outcomes.

Examining collaborative leadership through interprofessional education: findings from a mixed methods study.

Collaborative leadership is essential as recent trends in healthcare service delivery necessitate interprofessional collaboration and care. Interprofessional education (IPE) efforts, therefore, have to prepare students for this type of leadership. The purpose of this study was to understand how students' perceptions of leadership change as a result of embedding a collaborative leadership model, the Social Change Model (SCM) of leadership, in an IPE course. Data were collected from 30 students participating in an interprofessional course through two interprofessional course reflections, pre/post leadership posters and poster reflections, and a pre/post survey. Results from paired sample t-tests suggested students significantly improved in their perceptions of leadership efficacy. These data also indicated improvements to the three group-level values of the SCM: collaboration, common purpose, and controversy with civility. Findings from the qualitative data suggest that students learned to view leadership as more of a team effort than the actions of a single individual and as more of a process than a role. Findings also revealed the benefits and challenges of using a visual process of poster development as a way of examining students' changes in perceptions of leadership over the course of the semester. Implications are discussed in relationship to the utility of the SCM in promoting students' shifts in conceptualizations of leadership that emphasizes collaboration and helps prepare students to engage in these ways within interprofessional teams in their practice.

Interprofessional training on resilience-building for children who experience trauma: Stakeholders' views from six low- and middle-income countries.

Children exposed to multiple adversities are at high risk of developing complex mental health and related problems, which are more likely to be met through integrated interprofessional working. Combining the expertise of different practitioners for interprofessional care is especially pertinent in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) in the absence of specialist resources. The aim of this study was to work with practitioners who deliver care to vulnerable children in six LMIC (Turkey, Pakistan, Indonesia, Kenya, Rwanda, and Brazil) to understand their perspectives on the content of an interprofessional training programme in building resilience for these children. Seventeen participants from different professional backgrounds, who were in contact with vulnerable children were interviewed. A thematic analytic framework was used. Four themes were identified, which were the benefits of a tiered approach to training, challenges and limitations, perceived impact, and recommendations for future training. The findings indicate the importance of co-ordinated policy, service, and training development in an interprofessional context to maximize resources; the need for cultural adaptation of skilled-based training and interventions; and the usefulness of new technologies to enhance accessibility and reduce costs in LMIC.

Psychometric validation of team experiences questionnaire in preregistration Chinese health and social care students in Hong Kong.

The complexity of patients' healthcare needs can be addressed more adequately by professionals working as a healthcare team. In view of this, it is important to prepare students for collaborative work when they become professionals through a students' team training at the preregistration level. As intervention programs are implemented to promote students' collaboration, instruments like Team Experiences Questionnaire (TEQ) are needed. In this connection, this study which involved 335 Chinese students enrolled in eight health and social care programs from two universities in Hong Kong investigated the factor structures of the TEQ using construct validation approach. Using confirmatory factor analysis, we examined the fit of three competing models: unidimensional model, first-order correlated model, and second-order hierarchical model. The results demonstrated that the second-order hierarchical model obtained the best fit, with a higher-order construct called total team experiences subsuming the following first order factors: overall satisfaction with team experiences, team impact on quality of learning, satisfaction with team evaluation, team impact on clinical reasoning ability, and professional development. The "total team experience" construct explained from 21.1% to 35.7% of the variance in predicting students' future perception of team competency and autonomy, perceived need for cooperation, and perception of actual cooperation. Results support the applicability of the TEQ second-order hierarchical model. Implications are discussed.

An innovative model using telementoring to provide geriatrics education for nurses and social workers at skilled nursing facilities✰.

Older adults with complex needs reside in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and are cared for by nurses and social workers with limited geriatrics education. We describe the pilot phase of an educational model using the Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) platform to teach geriatrics principles to SNF staff. Twenty-five unique participants from 7 total facilities enrolled, with twenty-two participants completing both the pre/post surveys. Statistically significant improvement was seen in participants' self-efficacy to treat patients with dementia, educate patients about hospice and palliative medicine options, and assess and manage infections in older adults. The two largest barriers participants identified in making changes after the series were the time pressures of caring for complex geriatric patients and staff available to assist with social support needs of older adults. ECHO-Chicago's Geriatrics SNF pilot series is innovative and shows promise to provide geriatrics education for the SNF workforce.

What are social work students being taught about palliative care?

OBJECTIVE: Palliative social workers have taken steps to increase the numbers of social workers trained and competent to deliver effective psychosocial palliative care. Despite these developments, masters of social work (MSW) programs have only begun to develop curricula preparing students for entry-level practice. This study sought to determine the type and extent of content areas included in MSW courses dedicated to palliative care or with content related to palliative care practice. METHOD: A cross-sectional study using an online questionnaire was conducted. All 248 accredited MSW programs in the United States and 32 programs in Canada were invited to participate. Participants were asked to name the courses in their MSW program that were dedicated to, or included content on, palliative care, and submit the syllabi for these courses. Data comprised course content for each class session and required readings. A grounded theory approach was used to identify the topics covered. RESULT: Of the 105 participating programs that responded to the survey, 42 submitted 70 syllabi for courses with at least some palliative care content. There were 29 topics identified. The most common topic was grief, loss, and bereavement, followed closely by behavioral and mental health issues, and supporting family and friends; cultural perspectives and advance care planning were also common topics. For the 10 syllabi from courses dedicated to palliative care, supporting family was the most common topical area, followed closely by interprofessional practice and advance care planning. SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: Although there are many challenges to introducing palliative care content into MSW programs, including unqualified faculty and competing course material and electives of equally compelling content, there are model curricula for dedicated palliative care courses. With the large growth of palliative care programs, the time is ripe to add specialty palliative care courses and to add palliative care content into existing courses.