Cargando…

Service-Learning Programs and Projects for Medical Students Engaged With the Community

Introduction The medical school curriculum has changed from using the term “pedagogy” to framing adult learning theories with the goal of applying knowledge to a clinical situation or real-life experiences. Service-learning programs (SLPs) in medical schools illustrate one of several adult learning...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Bamdas, Jo Ann M, Averkiou, Peter, Jacomino, Mario
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Cureus 2022
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9308941/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35898383
http://dx.doi.org/10.7759/cureus.26279
_version_ 1784753051320451072
author Bamdas, Jo Ann M
Averkiou, Peter
Jacomino, Mario
author_facet Bamdas, Jo Ann M
Averkiou, Peter
Jacomino, Mario
author_sort Bamdas, Jo Ann M
collection PubMed
description Introduction The medical school curriculum has changed from using the term “pedagogy” to framing adult learning theories with the goal of applying knowledge to a clinical situation or real-life experiences. Service-learning programs (SLPs) in medical schools illustrate one of several adult learning principles and practices now used in today’s curriculum that better prepare medical students for working with a variety of patients.  Objective The researchers’ aim was to assess medical students’ learning experiences while participating with nonprofit organizations during a curricula-designed SLP. Method The authors analyzed 60 reflective essays over a three-year academic period from 192 medical students placed in teams of two to four. A qualitative study with a thematic analysis research design was employed in our study. This iterative approach allowed the researchers to identify themes and interpret meaning. The study was completed in 2020 using data from 2017-2020. Results Four major themes and one overarching theme emerged that reflect adult learning theories including: (1) transfer learning of one’s skills and knowledge to community and practice; (2) articulate a variety of ways to communicate with multiple, diverse community audiences; (3) employ a creative process for quality improvement strategies; (4) create positive trusting and rewarding relationships that highlight an enhanced level of conduct and professionalism. An overarching theme found was: collaboration emerges almost without forethought. Medical educators may find that replicating this SLP into the curriculum infrastructure provides agency and student buy-in. We established an SLP as part of the medical school curriculum that brings privilege and reward to students and to the community. Reflection provides for meaningfulness from SLP and helps students identify how experiential learning affects their professional development as members of the community and future health care providers. Conclusion Implementing SLPs into any medical school curriculum strengthens the adult learning theoretical delivery approach. Disseminating projects and lessons learned to and from the community also showcases experiential learning opportunities for medical students and other professionals. Many aspects of awareness from the medical students’ engagement during the SLP emerged. They learned about specific aspects of community engagement and found it a privilege to give and take many lessons from the experiences and opportunities.
format Online
Article
Text
id pubmed-9308941
institution National Center for Biotechnology Information
language English
publishDate 2022
publisher Cureus
record_format MEDLINE/PubMed
spelling pubmed-93089412022-07-26 Service-Learning Programs and Projects for Medical Students Engaged With the Community Bamdas, Jo Ann M Averkiou, Peter Jacomino, Mario Cureus Medical Education Introduction The medical school curriculum has changed from using the term “pedagogy” to framing adult learning theories with the goal of applying knowledge to a clinical situation or real-life experiences. Service-learning programs (SLPs) in medical schools illustrate one of several adult learning principles and practices now used in today’s curriculum that better prepare medical students for working with a variety of patients.  Objective The researchers’ aim was to assess medical students’ learning experiences while participating with nonprofit organizations during a curricula-designed SLP. Method The authors analyzed 60 reflective essays over a three-year academic period from 192 medical students placed in teams of two to four. A qualitative study with a thematic analysis research design was employed in our study. This iterative approach allowed the researchers to identify themes and interpret meaning. The study was completed in 2020 using data from 2017-2020. Results Four major themes and one overarching theme emerged that reflect adult learning theories including: (1) transfer learning of one’s skills and knowledge to community and practice; (2) articulate a variety of ways to communicate with multiple, diverse community audiences; (3) employ a creative process for quality improvement strategies; (4) create positive trusting and rewarding relationships that highlight an enhanced level of conduct and professionalism. An overarching theme found was: collaboration emerges almost without forethought. Medical educators may find that replicating this SLP into the curriculum infrastructure provides agency and student buy-in. We established an SLP as part of the medical school curriculum that brings privilege and reward to students and to the community. Reflection provides for meaningfulness from SLP and helps students identify how experiential learning affects their professional development as members of the community and future health care providers. Conclusion Implementing SLPs into any medical school curriculum strengthens the adult learning theoretical delivery approach. Disseminating projects and lessons learned to and from the community also showcases experiential learning opportunities for medical students and other professionals. Many aspects of awareness from the medical students’ engagement during the SLP emerged. They learned about specific aspects of community engagement and found it a privilege to give and take many lessons from the experiences and opportunities. Cureus 2022-06-24 /pmc/articles/PMC9308941/ /pubmed/35898383 http://dx.doi.org/10.7759/cureus.26279 Text en Copyright © 2022, Bamdas et al. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
spellingShingle Medical Education
Bamdas, Jo Ann M
Averkiou, Peter
Jacomino, Mario
Service-Learning Programs and Projects for Medical Students Engaged With the Community
title Service-Learning Programs and Projects for Medical Students Engaged With the Community
title_full Service-Learning Programs and Projects for Medical Students Engaged With the Community
title_fullStr Service-Learning Programs and Projects for Medical Students Engaged With the Community
title_full_unstemmed Service-Learning Programs and Projects for Medical Students Engaged With the Community
title_short Service-Learning Programs and Projects for Medical Students Engaged With the Community
title_sort service-learning programs and projects for medical students engaged with the community
topic Medical Education
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9308941/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35898383
http://dx.doi.org/10.7759/cureus.26279
work_keys_str_mv AT bamdasjoannm servicelearningprogramsandprojectsformedicalstudentsengagedwiththecommunity
AT averkioupeter servicelearningprogramsandprojectsformedicalstudentsengagedwiththecommunity
AT jacominomario servicelearningprogramsandprojectsformedicalstudentsengagedwiththecommunity