Assessing Competence in Screening and Brief Intervention Using Online Patient Simulation and Critical Self-Reflection

Screening and brief intervention (SBI) is an evidence-supported intervention for reducing clients' hazardous alcohol use. One method of teaching SBI is online patient simulation (OPS). Despite the need to promote diversity in social work education, OPS most frequently features non-Hispanic White clients. In response to this need, the authors describe the development of a new OPS with an African-American client at risk for an alcohol use disorder. The OPS, in conjunction with self-reflection, was embedded in an MSW course to teach and assess students' competence in SBI. Utilizing a one group, longitudinal, pretest posttest design, a paired samples t-test was conducted to compare mean differences in students' scores from pre- to postinstruction. Scores improved by an average of 29.79 points. This curricular model is an innovative teaching and assessment method for SBI skills.