In the IU School of Social Work course, Generalist Social Work Practice II: Theory and Skills, undergrad students at the junior level participate in hands-on experience to prepare for real-world situations after graduation. On the Bloomington campus, students build their knowledge through the Simulation (SIM) Lab, an interprofessional education facility shared between the School of Social Work, School of Nursing, School of Medicine, and Language and Hearing Sciences. The SIM Lab allows social work students to role-play high-pressure scenarios with students from other health fields, such as nursing.

“I think the benefit of the class is that it gives students a space to develop their foundational social work skills (empathy, active listening, attending and observing, open-ended questions, reflection) that they will carry with them throughout their social work career,” said Jessica Adams, visiting lecturer, School of Social Work. “They will find the experience useful no matter what setting they find themselves working in, in the future.”