Breakout Session – Education Social Workers in Palliative and End of Life Care (ESPEC): An Innovative Training Program to Promote Integration of Primary Care into Social Work Practice

1.5 Social Work Credits

Presenters:

Myra Glajchen, DSW, MSW, BSW, ACSW, APHSW-C
Shirley Otis-Green, MA, MSW, ACSW, LCSW, OSW-CE, FNAP, FAOSW
Vickie Leff, LCSW, MSW, LCSW, APHSW-C,
Suzanne Marmo, LCSW, PhD, APHSW-C

Palliative care is associated with improved quality of life for patients and caregivers dealing
with chronic and serious illness. As palliative care has grown as a medical specialty, so too
have opportunities for social workers to participate in clinical teams. Yet while training
programs have proliferated for physicians and nurses in palliative care, comparable
programs for social workers have lagged behind.

Social workers play a crucial role in alleviating suffering, decreasing illness burden and
ensuring a focus on both the medical and psychosocial aspects of care. But in a recent study
to define core competencies for social workers in palliative care, practicing social workers
reported gaps in training, lack of adequate preparation in the family meeting, advance care
planning, bereavement, and other activities to meet the needs of the seriously ill. Social
workers cited these as sources of compassion fatigue, decreased job satisfaction, high
turnover at work, and lack of recognition for the critical role of social workers in health and
palliative care.

This presentation will highlight best practices in health social work using the eight domains
of the National Consensus Project Guidelines for Quality Palliative Care as a framework.
The session will review Educating Social Workers in Palliative and End-of-Life Care (ESPEC),
the new evidence-informed training program for social workers, provide highlights from
the four training components - interactive on-line training, instructor led training,
leadership training, and mentorship - and share state-of-the-art training techniques.
Participants will also be encouraged to use the training to increase their professional
visibility.