Student service learning experiences at MUSC
incorporate service within explicit learning objectives that include
reflection of the experience and a product developed in collaboration
with the community. For most outreach projects, service learning
is an inherent part of student clinical rotations. In some instances,
the community evaluates the students. For other projects, students
seek a community-focused experience as an independent study opportunity.
A selection of the service learning objectives are highlighted and
illustrated with quotes from the students who have participated.
For
more information click
here
| Increase
student’s understanding of health needs of diverse populations. |
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"I
learned what real problems are like." |
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"Adding
the social picture to the medical picture was a real eye-opener." |
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"By
going out in the community, I have learned of the great need
for dental health awareness and care. Yes, we learn there
is a need. However, when you put faces to it and talk
to people, it makes it a reality." |
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| Increase
cultural competence. |
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"For
me, [community work] was a real eye-opener about poverty and
poor people." |
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"This
was a good experience to see a different way of life than
I have known." |
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"Now
I understand the need to look at the whole family, the whole
community to understand why [families] aren’t addressing
health problems." |
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"You
learned what it is like to live in their homes; what their
lives are like." |
| Introduce
the value of providing community service. |
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"The
minute you walk into a patient’s home, you gain an understanding
you never get during an office visit. I believe every medical
student should make a home visit during their training." |
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"I
learned the importance of the social environment." |
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"I
had a chance to work closely with other members of the health
care team and learn about their roles." |
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"Even
with more affluent families, barriers to obtaining care exist.
They still have issues, though they might be different ones." |
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"I
saw how office staff deal with everyday problems - health
care professionals aren’t always around, so non-professionals
sometimes provide important care." |
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| Develop
skill in health promotion. |
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"I
had time to address general health behaviors like brushing
teeth." |
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"I
had a chance to interact with healthy kids versus the ill
ones we see in the hospital." |
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"As
a first year [dental] student you are inundated with dental
information. It was exciting to share some of the basic information
we were taught with children and find out what their knowledge
level was about dentistry. The most exciting aspect was responding
to their questions. Their questions and interest help keep
you focused and give you immediate feedback. Speaking in terms
they understand definitely helps in beginning to develop patient
management skills. By getting out of school and talking to
people, you gain new insights as to what questions/perceptions
they have." |
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"I
got a greater appreciation of community needs and the potential
for [my professional] role. There is always something that
can be done, you can discover what to do by assessing the
environment for educational opportunities." |
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"Working
in the community enhanced my appreciation for the basic level
of learning that takes place in undergraduate (nursing) education.
That very pragmatic information is just what the community
needs!" |
| Identify
barriers to accessing appropriate health care. |
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"Health
care professionals are so quick to judge clients as ‘non-compliant’
without seeing whole picture." |
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"All
parents love their kids, but they might have different barriers
to getting care." |
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"Working
in the clinics was a real eye-opener regarding limitations
to accessing care. I was astounded at the pregnancy rate in
the high school population, but the school-based clinics weren’t
allowed to test for pregnancy. It seemed absurd that schools
and the community would set limits on what was appropriate
to treat. That showed me there were real issues in the community,
and almost unbelievable barriers for kids to overcome. Maybe
there is something that can be improved." |
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Utilize
critical thinking in addressing health problems in the community. |
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"Administering
immunizations in the school setting required doing things
differently. We were giving shots in the cafeteria, but we
only had one sharps box and there were no sinks for hand washing,
so we had to use bottled hand cleanser. This was not the controlled
environment that we had come to expect.
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