Lifelong Learning: A Qualitative Analysis of Community-Based Practitioners’ Interest In Learning with MSWs

Background and Purpose:

Social work education extends beyond the classroom as social workers are lifelong learners. Social workers must participate in continuing education relevant to practice to ensure competency. Social work students learn from various educational materials, including case studies and professors’ experiences. However, education is a process of learning together. Taylor (2025) found that social workers teaching in a university setting learned through teaching students when describing their practice knowledge, evaluating theoretical practice frameworks, and reconsidering assumptions. Taken together, practitioners and students can benefit in a classroom setting. Inviting practitioners into social work classrooms is a way for practicing social workers to continue learning about competent practice with student social workers.

This abstract reports the experiences of community-based practitioners in a Master of Social Work (MSW) semester-long program. Five community-based practitioners from nursing, public health, physical therapy, and social work participated in a semester-long program with 29 MSW students focused on the Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) model between January and April 2025. The program education included didactic instruction on key tenets of motivational interviewing and SBIRT, small-group practice with simulated patients, and reflections.

Methods:

Qualitative interviews with community-based practitioners were conducted six months after the program to gather insight into the applicability and interest of learning in classroom settings with MSW students. The interviews were semi-structured, with four questions developed to better understand their experiences. The interviews lasted up to 45 minutes and were conducted via Zoom. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and reviewed to ensure transcription accuracy. A thematic analysis was conducted to inductively code themes among community-based practitioners.

Results:

The thematic analysis first found that community-based practitioners were excited about learning alongside MSW students. Several of them had experience working with interns or new graduates, so they were excited to learn new skills alongside students in the classroom. Additionally, the community-based practitioners expressed interest in professional development opportunities like the training program as it was beneficial to have a refresher or an introduction to a clinical skill. They even identified that the training program would be beneficial for clinicians, healthcare providers, and non-clinical professionals such as those working with college-aged adults. However, they were concerned about the affordability of continuing education units and the time required to participate in a similar program.

Conclusions and Implications:

Community-based practitioners from nursing, public health, physical therapy, and social work found it exciting and beneficial to learn in a classroom setting with MSW students. They offered their unique perspectives while also refining or learning new skills, which they brought to their current practice. Including community-based practitioners in MSW classrooms or training programs is a practical way to support their lifelong learning while also supporting MSW students’ learning. Additional research is recommended to follow up on the community-based practitioners’ implementation of SBIRT and their self-reported confidence in using SBIRT in their professional settings.

References

Taylor, M. (2025). How practicing social workers benefit from teaching social work students in university classrooms. Social Work Education, 44(7), 1799-1817. DOI: 10.1080/02615479.2024.2436989