Educational impact of a service-learning experience in third-year surgery clerkship students

ObjectiveService learning and community engagement have contributed to the education of medical students. Interest in incorporating service opportunities haveincreased in recent years especially in light of an LCME standard requiring such education. The purpose of this study was to determine the experience and learning of third year surgery clerkship students following a volunteering opportunity.MethodsThird year students (n=174) on the surgery clerkship were required to attend a 2.5 hour shift at an organization for people who experience homelessness. Students were given protected time to attend this session and shift times were reserved for the students by the organization. Following the session, students were required to submit a reflective essay about their experience and learning. Essays were de-identified and then evaluated using a qualitative thematic analysis. The essays were initially analyzed, coded for themes and then organized using NVivo qualitative software.ResultsAnalysis of the reflective essays revealed several positive themes - (1) personal growth and connection to their medical calling and feelings of empathy, compassion, gratitude, humility, connectedness; (2) learning skills and attitudes that they can apply to clinical work and patient care; (3) increased sense of social responsibility, advocacy, and citizenship; (4) reduced stereotyping and improved understanding of others,(5) desire to continue volunteering, engaging with other organizations, or initiating own community-based projects.ConclusionsAnalysis of reflective essays revealed that students experienced personal growth, connectedness with their medical calling, and a sense of social responsibility after participation in a service learning activity. Service learning experiences may have implications on the priorities students focus on either within and outside their specialty choice. These partnerships may also change the community's perception of the institution and can contribute to trust in medicine. Additional research is required to assess whether the learning experienced by third year medical students is sustained long-term.