The Positive Effects of Service-Learning on Overall Quality and Psychological Capital Appreciation of Medical Students

Abstract Background Service learning (SL) is an educational methodology presumed to help medical students be more empathetic and compassionate. We longitudinally investigated the level of empathy in medical students and how preclinical SL experience was related to their level of empathy in their clinical clerkships. Methods Our cohort comprised fifth-year medical students engaged in clerkships as part of a 7-year medical programme at one medical school in Taiwan. Surveys were conducted at the beginning of the clerkship in September 2015 (T1) to collect data on the medical students’ preclinical SL experience in curriculum-based service teams (CBSTs) and extracurricular service teams (ECSTs) and their SL self-efficacy, demographic characteristics, and empathy level. Subsequently, three follow-up surveys were conducted once every 3 months to determine the empathy level of the students during their clinical clerkships (T2–T4). Seventy students who returned the written informed consent and completed the baseline (T1) and two or more follow-up surveys (T2–T4) were included in our analysis with the response rate of 34%. In total, 247 responses across the 1-year clerkship were analysed. Descriptive statistics, paired t tests, and generalised estimating equations were employed. Results Our study revealed that changes in empathy level in the dimensions of perspective taking, compassionate care, and standing in patients’ shoes in their clinical clerkships. Relative to that at T1, their empathy decreased in perspective taking and compassionate care at T2–T4 but increased in standing in patients’ shoes at T3. Additionally, our study verified the positive effect of medical students’ preclinical SL experience in CBSTs and ECSTs on empathy in terms of compassionate care and perspective taking, respectively, but not on that of standing in patients’ shoes. Conclusions Separate investigations into subconstructs of empathy, such as perspective taking, compassionate care, and standing in patients’ shoes, in medical students may be necessary for exploring the various driving forces or barriers to developing empathy in medical students. Moreover, SL experience through both CBSTs and ECSTs at medical academies may have positive effects on medical students’ empathy in their clinical clerkships and should be promoted at medical schools.

Download Full-text

Required Longitudinal Service-Learning and Its Effects on Medical Students’ Attitudes Toward the Underserved

Medical Science Educator ◽

10.1007/s40670-021-01350-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Monica Rose Arebalos ◽

Faun Lee Botor ◽

Edward Simanton ◽

Jennifer Young

Keyword(s):

Medical Education ◽

Medical Students ◽

Service Learning ◽

Student Attitudes ◽

Underserved Populations ◽

Preclinical Phase ◽

School Of Medicine ◽

Students Attitudes ◽

Medical Student Attitudes ◽

The University

AbstractAlthough medical students enter medicine with altruistic motives and seek to serve indigent populations, studies show that medical students’ attitudes towards the undeserved tend to worsen significantly as they go through their medical education. This finding emphasizes the need for medical educators to implement activities such as service-learning that may help mitigate this negative trend.All students at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) School of Medicine are required to participate in longitudinal service-learning throughout medical school, and a majority of students interact with the underserved at their service-learning sites. Using the previously validated Medical Student Attitudes Towards the Underserved (MSATU), independent sample T-tests showed that students who interact with underserved populations at their sites scored with significantly better attitudes towards the underserved at the end of their preclinical phase. Subjects included 58 medical students with 100% taking the MSATU. This result indicates that longitudinal service-learning, particularly when it includes interaction with the underserved, can be one method to combat the worsening of medical students’ attitudes as they complete their medical education.

Download Full-text

Positive effects of medical hypnosis on test anxiety in first year medical students

Innovations in Education and Teaching International ◽

10.1080/14703297.2021.1886971 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-11

Author(s):

Christian M. Hammer ◽

Michael Scholz ◽

Larissa Bischofsberger ◽

Alexander Hammer ◽

Benedikt Kleinsasser ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Test Anxiety ◽

First Year ◽

Positive Effects ◽

First Year Medical Students

Download Full-text

How Service Learning Can Impact Medical Students’ Perceptions of Social Responsibility

World Journal of Social Science Research ◽

10.22158/wjssr.v8n2p1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. p1

Author(s):

Sherry A. McDonald ◽

Chris Cale Cale ◽

Sunddip Panesar-Aguilar ◽

Michelle McCraney

Keyword(s):

Medical Education ◽

Medical Students ◽

Service Learning ◽

Social Responsibility ◽

Community Integration ◽

Research Question ◽

Educational Method ◽

Liaison Committee ◽

Practice Of Medicine ◽

Eye Opening

As criticism intensifies regarding healthcare disparities, the Liaison Committee for Medical Education has added accrediting standards mandating Service Learning (SL) in their curriculum. SL is a viable educational method to enhance social responsibility and other elements of professional identity. The problem of implementing highly effective SL projects in medical education was addressed in this study. Kiely’s model of transformational SL was used in this basic qualitative study to examine 10 medical students’ experiences during an SL project. The research question for the study was focused on the students’ descriptions of their experiences to understand how they perceived changes in themselves resulting from participation in SL. Findings from the data collected with semistructured interviews indicated that medical students described SL experiences as beneficial for community integration, educating others, and gratification. They expressed disappointment that they did not know the results of their projects. They related SL experiences that were eye-opening for them and stated that SL influenced their development of compassion as well as their intent to serve their community in their future practice of medicine. The resulting research study consisted of a curriculum plan for a required, credit-bearing SL project. The research contributes to positive social change by the intentional design of a transformative SL curriculum to foster social responsibility development.

Download Full-text

Double H Service Learning Program: Encouraging Medical Students’ Professional And Personal Growth In Understanding And Caring For Children With Chronic Illness

10.1542/peds.147.3_meetingabstract.527 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jessica Calderone ◽

Gregory Altman ◽

Dennis McKenna ◽

Kate Wagner

Keyword(s):

Chronic Illness ◽

Medical Students ◽

Service Learning ◽

Personal Growth ◽

Learning Program

Download Full-text

Integrating Service-Learning Pedagogy Into Community College Coursework

International Journal of Innovative Teaching and Learning in Higher Education ◽

10.4018/ijitlhe.2020010103 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 25-36

Author(s):

Timothy Leonard ◽

Patrick J. Flink

Keyword(s):

Service Learning ◽

Developmental Reading ◽

Phenomenological Approach ◽

Developmental Students ◽

Developmental Studies ◽

Motivation To Read ◽

Positive Effects ◽

Life Challenges ◽

Service Learning Pedagogy ◽

Early Childhood Center

Developmental students face significant academic and life challenges as they pursue a college degree. As students in developmental studies often struggle to complete their courses, research focused on innovative pedagogy that engages students while developing skills is needed. This project sought to investigate implementing an on-campus, service-learning (SL) component into developmental reading courses. Students participated in SL by reading to children at the on-campus Early Childhood Center (ECC) one time per week, during scheduled class, with time provided for structured metacognition through reflective journals. A phenomenological approach was used for this study, and Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to examine responses and note trends in data. It was found that students who participated in SL as part of their developmental reading course reported multiple positive effects such as developing a positive academic mindset, improving self-efficacy, and increasing motivation to read.

Download Full-text

The undergraduate field-research experience in Global Health: Study abroad, service learning, professional training or 'none of the above'?

Learning and Teaching ◽

10.3167/latiss.2013.060204 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

pp. 53-71 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Kearsley A. Stewart

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Service Learning ◽

Global Health ◽

Study Abroad ◽

Professional Training ◽

Field Experience ◽

Health Study ◽

Short Term ◽

Health Training ◽

Health Field

Interest in short-term international placements in global health training for U.S.-based medical students is growing; the trend is mirrored for global health undergraduate students. Best practices in field-based global health training can increase success for medical students, but we lack a critical framework for the undergraduate global health field experience. In what ways does an undergraduate field experience in global health resemble a medical student's first international health elective? Is it more similar to a study-abroad programme or a service-learning experience with a focus on personal development, civic responsibility and community engagement? This article suggests that an undergraduate global health field experience contains features of both the international medical elective and a traditional service-learning programme. I analyse a case study of a short-term U.S.-based undergraduate global health project and explore the intersections of research, professional training and service learning.

Download Full-text

Crafting study tasks among medical students: the role of authentic medical teachers

BMC Medical Education ◽

10.1186/s12909-020-02337-5 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Tuan Trong Luu ◽

Thao Thanh Vo

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Leadership Style ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Authentic Leadership ◽

Task Demands ◽

Promotion Focus ◽

Positive Effects ◽

Study Task ◽

Medical Teachers

Abstract Background Though leadership has been highlighted as a salient skill for medical teachers in the medical education literature, the role of authentic leadership style among medical teachers in activating medical students’ learning behaviors has not been explored. Our study seeks to examine the effects of medical teachers’ authentic leadership on study task crafting behaviors among medical students. Methods Our study adopted a mixed-methods research design comprising observations of 100 surgical operations and 100 ward conferences led by medical teachers, and surveys on authentic leadership, study task crafting, and promotion focus. Structural equation modelling was utilized in the data analysis. Results Medical teachers’ authentic leadership demonstrated positive effects on the two study task crafting behaviors (seeking resources (B = 0.36, p < 0.001) and seeking challenges (B = 0.21, p < 0.05)) but not on reducing study task demands (B = 0.11, p > 0.10). Promotion focus was found to strengthen such positive effects of authentic leadership on seeking resources (B = 0.23, p < 0.05) and seeking challenges (B = 0.18, p < 0.05). Illustrative excerpts of intraoperative and conference conversations are presented. Conclusions Our study provided empirical evidence that medical students guided by authentic teachers expressed increased levels of study task crafting, which were further increased if medical students were promotion-focused.

Download Full-text

Effects of Biopsychosocial Education on the Clinical Judgments of Medical Students and GP Trainees Regarding Future Risk of Disability in Chronic Lower Back Pain: A Randomized Control Trial

Pain Medicine ◽

10.1093/pm/pnz284 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 21 (5) ◽

pp. 939-950

Author(s):

Christopher P Dwyer ◽

Pádraig MacNeela ◽

Hannah Durand ◽

Laura L O’Connor ◽

Chris J Main ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Back Pain ◽

Medical Students ◽

Educational Intervention ◽

Lower Back Pain ◽

Clinical Judgment ◽

Chronic Lower Back Pain ◽

Attitudes And Beliefs ◽

Clinical Judgments ◽

Positive Effects ◽

Lower Back

Abstract Background Chronic lower back pain (CLBP) is a major health care burden and often results in workplace absenteeism. It is a priority for appropriate management of CLBP to get individuals back to work as early as possible. Interventions informed by the flags approach, which integrates cognitive and behavioral approaches via identification of biopsychosocial barriers to recovery, have resulted in reduced pain-related work absences and increased return to work for individuals with CLBP. However, research indicates that physicians’ adherence to biopsychosocial guidelines is low. Objective The current study examined the effects of a flags approach–based educational intervention on clinical judgments of medical students and general practitioner (GP) trainees regarding the risk of future disability of CLBP patients. Design Randomized controlled trial (trial registration number: ISRCTN53670726). Setting University classroom. Subjects Medical students and GP trainees. Methods Using 40 fictional CLBP cases, differences in clinical judgment accuracy, weighting, and speed (experimental N = 32) were examined pre- and postintervention, as were flags approach knowledge, pain attitudes and beliefs, and empathy, in comparison with a no-intervention control group (control N = 31). Results Results revealed positive effects of the educational intervention on flags approach knowledge, pain-related attitudes and beliefs, and judgment weighting of psychologically based cues; results are discussed in light of existing theory and research. Conclusions Short flags approach–based educational video interventions on clinical judgment-making regarding the risk of future disability of CLBP patients may provide opportunities to gain biopsychosocial knowledge, overcome associated attitude barriers, and facilitate development of clinical judgment-making more aligned with psychological cues.

Download Full-text