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Improving a community-based experience for medical students
Community projects are an essential component of the 4-week family medicine clerkship for third-year medical students at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Projects include health education sessions conducted in schools and clinic waiting rooms. To better align the experience with HP2020 recommendations and improve the educational value, we conducted a needs assessment to: identify strengths and areas for improvement; and generate modifications to improve this service-learning experience.
Methods:
The cross-sectional needs assessment used a mixed-methods approach to collect data about the experiences of students, community project site advisors (CPSAs) and program faculty. Anonymous data was collected using a semi-structured online survey. Four group sessions were held with project stakeholders to explore survey results.
Results:
Forty-nine students, four CPSAs, four faculty members and one community member responded to the survey. Five students, six CPSAs, three community members and eight faculty members participated in the group sessions. Respondents believed that the community projects: helped develop skills for working with underserved populations; and improved understanding of the elements of social determinants that influence community health. Students and CPSAs believed that these projects can contribute to supporting health in local communities and understanding the needs of diverse populations. However, both groups believed that the short time frame and lack of continuity limit the scope of learning and the effectiveness of the projects.
Conclusion:
Community projects are valued by medical students, faculty, and community partners. Possible improvements include enhanced supervision and a longitudinal structure.
Learning Areas:
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programsAssessment of individual and community needs for health education
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Learning Objectives:
Analyze the strengths and areas for improvement in the current community project experience within the clerkship.
Keyword(s): Needs Assessment, Healthy People 2020
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the co-director of medical student education for the Department of Family and Social Medicine at Einstein, overseeing the clerkship rotation of which this community-based experience is a part. I was involved in the revision process, and have been involved in implementation this year. I am trained in public health and preventive medicine.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.