Service Learning in Health Professons Education
Outcomes
The Association of American Medical Colleges, in its Medical School Objectives Project, outlines the competencies that medical students should demonstrate upon graduation. These include:
- knowledge of the important non-biological determinants of health and of the economic, psychological, social, and cultural factors contributing to health and disease.
- knowledge of population health sciences and approaches.
- a commitment to provide care to patients who are unable to pay.
- a commitment to advocate for access to health care for members of traditionally underserved populations.
What educational strategies can help to achieve these competencies among medical students and residents? No fewer than six national and international bodies have concluded that community-based education is essential to creating community-responsive physicians. (Seifer, 2001).
Whether service-learning activities are part of the student's structured curriculum or informal activities that students volunteer to take part in while on a community rotation, service learning can facilitate students achieveing the above competencies.
