The social work literature often mentions the value and importance of faculty and field instructors serving as role models for students. Unlike allied disciplines, the influence of role models in social work education remains relatively unexplored. This article includes a search of two electronic databases on "role models and social work education," identifies the various conceptual references the social work literature makes to the topic, and then discusses its inclusion as a variable in empirical studies. It argues that more qualitative investigation is needed into role modeling as an inextricable component of social work students' socialization to the profession. (Contains 1 table.)