The Importance of Incorporating Service-Learning Projects into the Medical School Curriculum

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/ijms.2022.1497

Keywords:

Medical Students, Medical education, Mentorship, Leadership

Abstract

The incorporation of Service-Learning Projects (SLPs) into the medical school curriculum is an effective way for students to adopt the leadership skills necessary to apply their traditional education on social determinants of health into targeted action. For our SLP, our team of second-year medical students organized an after-school science program to address the concerns of academically at-risk K-5th grade students at a local Non-Profit Organization (NPO). The goal was to increase interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subjects and careers. Our weekly lesson plans always utilized experimental learning models in an effort to foster engagement. Throughout the duration of the project, student participation grew to three-fold of the initial cohort. Through this SLP, we identified a disparity within our local community and developed a targeted solution to address this issue. We honed our skills not traditionally covered in a medical school curriculum, including program planning, fundraising, marketing, etc., and feel more capable of taking on more significant leadership roles in the future. Additionally, our specific SLP provided us with an invaluable lesson in fostering communication skills that will benefit patient education.

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References

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Goldstein AO, Calleson D, Bearman R, Steiner BD, Frasier PY, Slatt L. Teaching Advanced Leadership Skills in Community Service (ALSCS) to Medical Students. Acad Med. 2009;84(6):754-64.

Chen TY. Medical leadership: an important and required competency for medical students. Tzu Chi Med J. 2018;30:66–70.

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Published

2022-07-12 — Updated on 2023-01-02

How to Cite

Lahiri, S., Abdin, R., Elimelech, A., Massimilian, S. S., & Averkiou, P. (2023). The Importance of Incorporating Service-Learning Projects into the Medical School Curriculum. International Journal of Medical Students, 10(4), 425–428. https://doi.org/10.5195/ijms.2022.1497

Issue

Vol. 10 No. 4 (2022)

Section

Experience

Categories

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Copyright (c) 2022 Sohini Lahiri, Rama Abdin, Aviv Elimelech, Stephanie Salgueiro Massimilian, Peter Averkiou

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