End-of-Life Care as a Field of Practice in the Social Work Curriculum

Attention to end-of-life care in social work education and practice is growing. With funding from the Project on Death in America, in 2001, the University of Iowa, School of Social Work developed and implemented an End-of-Life Field of Practice. Unlike a concentration, a Field of Practice is a set of integrated courses focused on one specific area of focus. This article describes the Field of Practice, the community-based partnerships, and the curriculum that serves as a basis for training the students enrolled in this area. Strategies for other social work programs interested in developing a similar Field of Practice or specialty area in their MSW curricula are provided. These include faculty committed to the content area, comprehensive course offerings to encompass all aspects of end-of-life care, and field sites willing to help train students.