Provision and Long-Term Assessment of a Specialized Clinical Evidence-Based Practice Curriculum for Master of Social Work Students

Abstract

This study investigated social workers’ knowledge of the common elements in evidence-based practice to treat youth mental health conditions following a specialized curriculum during their Master of Social Work (MSW) education. Participants’ knowledge was measured during their MSW education and in their first 5 years of social work practice after graduation. The quantitative study measured participants’ knowledge of common elements three times; 86 social workers participated in the study with 67 sets of scores at three data points. Study results showed that participants knew more after completing the curriculum but knew less one to five years after graduation. Overall, however, their knowledge remained higher than before the curriculum. The findings provided insight into social workers’ knowledge of common elements of evidence-based practice modalities over time following a specialized curriculum. Findings also suggested that having multiple work obligations, lacking supervision, and receiving supervision by someone other than a social worker were all factors that might hinder graduates from continuing their education in evidence-based practice after graduation.