University of Pennsylvania
Specialized Structure: Concentration
The University of Pennsylvania has developed the Penn Aging Concentration (PAC) in partnership with a consortium of community agencies and annually prepares ten MSW Aging Fellows in their advanced year for clinical or macro social work careers. The overall aims are to:
- Increase the number of MSW students choosing a career in gero-social work.
- Enhance student skill competency in geriatric social work practice and policy in order to improve service delivery to a diverse older adult population.
As part of a required curriculum, some of the key areas of focus for students include geriatric bio-psycho-spiritual-social assessment, health, mental health, substance abuse, caregiving, care coordination models, brief psychotherapy (e.g. Problem Solving Therapy-CBT), home and community-based care, and policy analysis and evaluation. Multi-disciplinary and multi-agency rotational aging field seminars led by the Fellows are held each semester to orient students to different populations and organizations delivering aging services. To enhance knowledge, Geriatric Grand Rounds are held during the academic year. An annual capstone aging leadership project is developed and implemented by the student cohort. The PAC program also provides stipends to attract students to gerontology.