Objective To explore the effect of undergraduate nursing students voluntary engagement in an educational social work practicum. Methods Twenty-two third year undergraduate nursing students were recruited in this study. They were divided into 8 groups (2-3 students each group) and volunteered in home visits for 12 home-dwelling patients with neuromuscular disease, with the frequency of one session every two weeks, totaling 3 sessions each lasting 2 hours. The volunteering was organized by college teachers and supervised by clinical nurses. They were asked to write reflective diary after each service. Results The scores of general self-efficacy and clinical communication ability had no significant differences between pre- and post-intervention (both P>0.05). Two themes were identified through reflective diaries:self-reflection (growth and deficiencies); and discovering others (the power of role models, respect for life and attention to psychological nursing). Conclusion Short-term social work field practicum has a limited effect on improving nursing students′ general self-efficacy and clinical communication ability, but it can help them achieve self-growth and improve their perception of others.