Assistant Professor Texas Christian University Fort Worth, Texas, United States
Overview: This presentation introduces attendees to a recent study exploring BSW students’ experiences during a dyadic objective structured clinical examination with standardized actors representing an adult bisexual child and their parent. We will present findings to attendees and strategies to administer a similar dyadic simulation within educational settings.Proposal text: Introduction: This presentation reviews a recent study involving an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) with 18 bachelor of social work (BSW) students. The OSCE included standardized actors representing an adult bisexual child and their parent. This study focused on evaluating students’ behavior and communication skills, with a secondary aim to document students’ self-efficacy immediately after simulation. This presentation highlights the importance of preparing students to provide affirming services to all LGBTQ community members within professional settings.
BISEXUAL COMMUNITY: Bisexual community members represent the largest group of sexual minorities in the United States (Herbenick et al., 2010). Bisexual individuals face health disparities beyond that of lesbian and gay individuals. For example, they experience greater mental health risks than lesbian or gay individuals (Kertzner et al., 2009). Indeed, bisexual individuals experience anxiety, depression, and suicidality at higher rates than gay, lesbian, or heterosexual people (Dodge & Sandfort, 2007; Kertzner et al., 2009). They also often experience prejudice (Israel & Mohr, 2004), including monosexism, which is the belief that everyone should feel attracted to people of only one gender (Bradford, 2004). Bisexuality is understudied compared to gay and lesbian identity research (Scherrer & Woodford, 2013).
OSCE SIMULATIONS: OSCEs adapted for social work represent an innovative method for educators to provide a competency-based formative assessment of students’ ability to serve diverse client populations (Lu et al., 2011). Bogo et al. (2014) created the OSCE adapted for social work to assess students’ practice skills in simulations. Researchers use the OSCE adapted for social work to assess and positively influence a variety of different practice skill areas, including the integrated behavioral health skills of social work students (Sampson, 2018). No OSCE studies have yet explored dyadic simulations within a bisexual identity context. This study seeks to address this gap in the literature and to document how an OSCE improves students’ abilities to serve bisexual community members.
STUDY FINDINGS: Licensed social workers rated 18 students’ performance using the OSCE adapted for social work performance scale. Raters completed evaluations while observing the OSCE from the simulation room. On average, participants reported lower self-efficacy for working with bisexual individuals and their parents. Participants reported more self-efficacy related to assessing societal influences on interpersonal communication. We will share a full report of our study findings with attendees during the presentation.
SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION: This pilot study contributes to the field of social work education by providing initial evidence for use of the OSCE with parent-bisexual adult child dyads as a formative learning activity for undergraduate students. The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE, 2015) emphasizes the importance engaging diversity and difference within practice settings, including engagement with clients representing diverse sexual orientations. Attendees will learn how to administer a dyadic OSCE, which will enhance students opportunities to serve diverse client populations.
Learning Objectives:
Study Overview – Attendees will learn about a recent study exploring BSW students’ experiences in a bisexual child-parent dyadic objective structured clinical examination.
Training Application – Attendees will learn the benefits of engaging social work students in client simulations working with two standardized actors at the exact same time.
Education Enhancement – Attendees will learn strategies to offer students dyadic simulation opportunities at their current academic institution or social work agency.
