Research NoteStudent-reported value of a short-term service-learning trip to Nicaragua
Section snippets
Background
Service-learning has been defined as a “structured learning experience that combines community service with explicit learning objectives, preparation, and reflection.”1 In medical education, service-learning can be used as a tool to empower students to think critically about health disparities and social justice in a medical context.1 As the prevalence of international service-learning trips (ISLTs) increases, there is growing interest in the impact such trips have on professional students.2,3
Participants
Study participants included members of a service-learning team that served at Arms of Love, the host site children's home in Jinotepe, Nicaragua. Before joining the team, each participant submitted an application and was interviewed by the first author to learn more about their motivation for pursuing the trip, and background in service-learning and international travel. The team consisted of eight people, five of whom were pharmacy student participants; two pharmacy students had recently
Results
A diversity of themes surfaced during the individual interviews. From these themes (Table 2), the researchers came to consensus on domains under which subthemes were organized (Table 3). The domains identified in the study included: Domain 1 - Overall impact, Domain 2 - Personal transformation, Domain 3 - Professional transformation, Domain 4 - Nicaraguan wisdom, and Domain 5 - Barriers to health. Each of the five domains were identified in each interview transcript, however, not every
Discussion
This study identifies the ways a short-term ISLT to a host site with which a relationship has been built and strengthened over a number of years can impact student-reported professional and personal development. The themes identified in the interviews suggest this experience facilitated critical thinking and transformation related to students' future practice and personal selves. Some of the identified themes were consistent with the approach the team leaders purposefully took in approaching
Conclusion
Short-term service-learning trips have the potential to provide impactful professional and personal learning for pharmacy students. This study illustrates how an established service-learning opportunity with a consistent host site can allow for deeper and more trusting relationships. It is these relationships that allows for participants to effectively respond to the needs and requests of their partner organizations in developing countries and not impose their own agendas leading to a more
Declaration of competing interest
None.
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