From education to action: Development and evaluation of a student-directed service learning program

Abstract

Purpose

Service learning consists of service activities that respond to community-identified concerns, active learning about the population being served, and self-reflecting on the experience. The Service Learning Program (SLP) is a novel, student-led, longitudinal volunteering experience designed to address social determinants of health (SDOH) education in the undergraduate medical school curriculum. In this program, medical students complete requirements in three domains of service, education, and self-reflection over the span of one academic year.

Methods and materials

Participating students are sent surveys prior to and after a year of participation in SLP, which are aimed to measure changes in their perceived knowledge, attitudes, and skills in multiple domains related to service learning and social determinants of health.

Results

Over the course of the 2019–2020 year, 110 students who participated in SLP responded to both pre- and post-surveys. These students reported significant improvements in their confidence in various knowledge and skills related to SDOH, such as identifying vulnerable populations and assessing community needs. They also were more likely to report that learning about social determinants of health was ‘very important’ after participating the program.

Conclusions

Medical students participating in a longitudinal service learning program focused on SDOH can acquire knowledge and skills that will empower them to understand, advocate, and care for underserved populations as future physicians. This program provides a model for integrating service learning into undergraduate medical education.

Keywords:

• Service learning
• social determinants of health
• undergraduate medical education
• longitudinal
• community health

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to acknowledge all past and present student leaders of the Service Learning Program, especially Julie Dorland and Francie Hessel, for their commitment to social determinants of health education. The authors would also like to thank the 2019–2020 Deans of Student Affairs, including Dr. Andrea Stolar and Dr. Joseph Kass, for their support of SLP.

Ethical approval

The Baylor College of Medicine Institutional Review Board approved this study (IRB no. H-44504).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Previous presentations

Excerpts of this content were previously presented in a poster format at the Academy of Distinguished Educators Showcase of Educational Scholarship; September 18, 2020; Houston, TX.

Glossary

Experiential education: ‘Learning through doing’; creating and maintaining opportunities to teach and learn through immersion and interaction.

Student-directed: Describes programs and initiatives that are conceived and maintained by learners, with the assumption that they are able to flexibly shape objectives and design in ways that are most beneficial for them.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Christopher K. Wong

Christopher K. Wong, Pauline M. Berens, Manvitha V. Katta, Margaret Lie, Dylan Fall, Alay Shah, Sidra Deen, Manasi Joshi, and Laura Keenahan are medical students at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.

Nital Appelbaum

Nital Appelbaum, Ph.D, is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Evaluation, Assessment, and Research at Baylor College of Medicine.

Phuong B. Huynh

Phuong B. Huynh, Ph.D, is the Director of the Division of Evaluation, Assessment, and Research, Baylor College of Medicine.

Edward L. Poythress

Edward L. Poythress, MD, is Associate Professor of Medicine and Associate Dean of Student Affairs at Baylor College of Medicine.