Utilizing a Required Documentation Course to Improve the Recording Skills of Undergraduate Social Work Students

Abstract

Baccalaureate social workers respond to documentation and record-keeping demands of regulatory organizations that oversee or fund social service agencies. Learning to accurately document client needs, progress, and service delivery outcomes is important in ensuring that clients are receiving effective services. Despite the importance of documentation skills, many undergraduate social work programs do not provide sufficient curriculum content on client record keeping. The authors report the results of a study that examined changes in baccalaureate social work students' perceptions of their documentation skills after completing a required documentation course. The sample size included 101 students at pretest and 97 students completing the post-test. Statistically significant findings show students perceived an increase in knowledge in three areas of documentation: 1) formats, 2) content, and 3) writing skills. The authors discuss implications for social work education and practice.

Imagined, prescribed and actual text trajectories: the “problem” with case notes in contemporary social work

“…Key findings from work placement writing, echoed in more recent small studies (e.g. Leon and Pepe 2010;Lillis and Rai 2012;Rai and Lillis 2012), point to the limited opportunities for "newcomers" to learn, or critically evaluate, the required writing genres (e.g. Paré and Le Maistre 2006) and to the limited attention paid to such genres in social work education (e.g.…”

Utilizing a Continuing Education Workshop to Increase Knowledge of Documentation Among Hospital Psychosocial Staff

“…Therefore, it is imperative that hospital psychosocial staff have the necessary documentation skills to ensure updated communication on the patient's problems, progress, and ongoing needs. Despite this need, schools of social work and other educational programs do not adequately prepare helping professionals for the documentation and record-keeping demands of employment settings (Ames, 2008;Leon & Pepe, 2010).…”

“…With the 21st century came the realization that documentation must meet the needs of multiple parties: the client, the social worker, the agency, the supervisor, the legal system, and regulatory organizations (Callahan, 1996;Leon & Pepe, 2010). Often, the hospital emphasis is on discharge planning, and it is not easy for the psychosocial staff member to see beyond that goal (Holliman, Dziegielewski, & Teare, 2003).…”

“…Others have advocated for detailed recording suitable for legal presentation in cases involving child abuse (Edwards & Reid, 1989) and custody hearings (Gelman, 1992). Much of the literature has focused on teaching documentation skills within other parts of the social work curriculum (Leon & Pepe, 2010). For example, Ames's (2002) pilot study on the extent to which social work educators included documentation content in practice courses found that instructors did include the content but utilized different strategies and material.…”

“…The complex nature of documentation today requires that hospital psychosocial staff receive updated continuing education training to ensure effective record keeping of client service delivery reflected in assessments, treatment, and termination documentation (Judd & Sheffield, 2010;Kagle & Kopels, 2008;Leon & Pepe, 2010).…”