Funding – The Bertha Rosenstadt Trust
Strengthening Field Education
Field education is the cornerstone of the MSW educational experience – practicums provide our students with exceptional learning opportunities. As a Faculty, we are committed to strengthening the all-important ties we have with partner organizations who offer practicum to our students. The Bertha Rosenstadt Trust Fund in Health Research – which is available to FIFSW, as well as to all other Health Sciences Faculties at U of T – provides an important means for accomplishing this goal.
How does it work? An organization agrees to take a pre-negotiated number of MSW practicum students for three consecutive years. In return, the organization receives a three-year grant to engage in a research project, developed in consultation with FIFSW, that expands social work field education knowledge as well as field education capacity. Please submit research ideas (2-page maximum) to Practicum Office.
For the FIFSW Practicum Office, this fund is a valuable way to secure long-term commitments for MSW student placements, while also promoting cutting-edge research in field education.
The Trust commemorates Bertha Rosenstadt, who was one of the first Jewish women to graduate from the University of Toronto (BA 1898, MA 1899). In 2015, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, the Bertha Rosenstadt Trust Showcase presented some of the outstanding initiatives funded by the trust. Learn more about this event.
Projects
Past Projects
The Hospital for Sick Children
Goal: to support the development of an evidence-informed and practice-based evidence model of field instruction supervision.
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Goal: to evaluate the use of simulation to teach social work students how to conduct either a Mental Status Examination (MSE) or a Suicide Risk Assessment.
Women’s College Hospital
Goal: to increase capacity for student Social Work learners through implementation of a new teaching model at Women’s College Hospital Academic Family Health Team.
The project increased the number of MSW students from 1 to 4 for a specific practicum.by implementing group supervision, weekly one-one supervision, dedicated time for peer supervision sessions (without supervisors) and monthly group learning. Students and supervisors provided feedback at mid-term and at the end of practicum on their experience in a multi-student group supervision model.
Unity Health
Goal: to identify key content to clinical practice and deliver content in education sessions during placement to prepare students with necessary knowledge and skills to work with patients and families.
North York General Hospital
Goal: to examine Social Workers’ attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions of offering a Social Work practicum.
Current Projects
North York General Hospital
Goal: to create and evaluate a learning principle-based educational program in order to increase competence and confidence.
The intent is to create a supportive atmosphere for Social Workers that will complement the organization’s interprofessional education and training commitment. The study will look at Social Workers as a targeted group for support in clinical and education development, designed to occur in short periods of time, within the clinician’s day, rather than specialized opportunities that would involve leaving their clinical units for extended periods of time.
It is hypothesized that the increased education and support to the Social Workers will improve their level of competence and confidence and in turn, increase the number of quality practicums offered by the hospital. This theory has support within the literature, “senior leadership perceives that quality clinical practice requires practitioners’ continuous learning and growth. In turn, this commitment to education is also experienced by practitioners who volunteer as field instructors.” (Bogo, 2015, p.319).
Toronto Humane Society
Goal: to develop, deliverand evaluate an elective course: Veterinary Social Work, the Intersection of Humans and Animals delivered on-site at Toronto Humane Society, thereby increasing capacity for Social Work learners at the Toronto Humane Society.
Unity
Goal: to identify key content essential to clinical practice and deliver content in a series of education sessions by Social Work preceptors to their MSW students ove three sites with necessary knowledge and skills to work with patients and families. (Year 2 of three-year project.)
Students will complete a pre and post test to evaluate their confidence and competence after each session and specifically explore whether Social Work Seminars improve student transition from classroom to practicum.
Talk It Out Clinic
Goal: to evaluate the field education model of Talk It Out Clinic. Working with community partners, field instructors and MSW students at Talk It Out Clinic, the study will explore the critical needs for social work field education and the role of Talk It Out Clinic.
UHN
Goal: to develop a robust curriculum for UHN SW students that includes orientation, monthly educational sessions, and peer support/check-ins. The project will address specific hospital-specific challenges and opportunities as well as trauma-informed care principles, cultural competence training, and ethical considerations. It will do this with case studies, role-playing exercises, and reflective practices and a peer support group to enhance students’ ability to integrate theoretical knowledge with real-world scenarios and develop critical thinking skills while fostering mutual support and camaraderie.