Developing Servant Leadership through Experience and Practice: A Case Study in Service Learning.

Servant leadership is characterized by a core altruistic calling and central attributes of genuine caring, humility, and empathy, and in recent years, has become a style of leadership recommended to be addressed in sports management classrooms because of its associated positive outcomes and emphasis on ethical behavior and decision-making. As the relevance and popularity of servant leadership continue to grow, it gives rise to matters of how this approach to leadership can be better studied and taught to current and aspirant sports professionals. Thus, the purpose of this qualitative case study is to analyze a community-based service-learning project as a mode for developing servant leaders as part of a college sports management curriculum. Nineteen upper-level college sports management students participated in this study by serving as mentors in an after-school program for underprivileged elementary school students for 12 h across the course of six weeks. Participants then completed a written reflection upon the conclusion of the service project. Content analysis of these reflections suggests that service learning may be a positive method for developing servant leaders. The article closes with a discussion of findings, proposed future research questions, as well as ideas for future service-learning projects aimed at developing servant leaders.

The Impact of COVID-19 Service Learning on Medical Student Professional Identity Formation.

OBJECTIVE: The COVID-19 pandemic affected in-person educational activities and required medical schools to adapt and enrich their curriculum to ensure ongoing professional development. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, students expressed a significant desire to contribute and continue their medical education. Service learning promotes experiential learning and Professional Identity Formation (PIF). This study examines the impact that a service-learning elective had on medical students' education and PIF. METHODS: Offering a service-learning elective allowed students to remain engaged in educational activities and pandemic-relief efforts. We conducted a qualitative analysis of 132 written reflections by medical students who completed a 2- or a 4-week service-learning elective to assess for major themes and impact on PIF. RESULTS: Participation in service learning had a favorable impact on PIF as expressed by the personal qualities student identified as having developed or improved upon because of their participation. Enhancement of communication skills, teamwork skills, compassion, and empathy were major themes conveyed in student reflections. Qualities of resilience were also portrayed through the write-up as students noted how the elective allowed for active engagement in community pandemic-relief efforts and created opportunities for overcoming obstacles related to service learning projects they participated in. CONCLUSIONS: Service learning in medical school has a dual purpose of providing community support while imparting significant learning opportunities for PIF in medical students.

"Zoom pals:" a pilot evaluation of a virtual service-learning program to address social isolation in long-term care residents living with dementia.

A mixed-methods, embedded case study design was used to triangulate the effects of a virtual service-learning paradigm, "Zoom Pals," on participants and community partners including Communicative Disorders students, adults with dementia, and long-term care facility (LTCF) staff. Zoom Pals was designed to provide an experiential learning opportunity for students while addressing social isolation for older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. A convenience sample of 18 adults with dementia residing in an LTCF, eight student volunteers, and three LTCF staff members participated. Results of this exploratory study showed active engagement and consistent communication across sessions for older adults, although individuals with mild dementia were more responsive than those in moderate stages. Themes from resident interviews included positive emotions, a sense of novelty, and decreased loneliness. Students endorsed significantly increased communication skills and comfort and a trend toward improved dementia knowledge. Students' post-experience surveys emphasized learning communication strategies, making a difference, empathy, reciprocal benefits, and realizing the complexity of a dementia diagnosis. This pilot study demonstrates the feasibility of delivering remote service learning and social interventions for adults with dementia and provides a useful road map for others interested in increasing their reach by adapting in-person group behavioral interventions for remote delivery.

Community Outreach, Engagement, and Mentoring Program for Underrepresented Scholars in Cancer Health Disparities.

Racial/ethnic minorities and women are affected by cancer and cancer risk factors at higher rates; however, they are largely underrepresented in scientific professions focused on health disparities. One way to reduce disparities is to increase diversity within the workforce by planning training activities for minority scholars and paying close attention to community outreach. This paper describes the outcomes of a robust community outreach plan engaging communities in education, research, and clinical trials to increase the number of underrepresented student scholars in cancer disparities research through research training, mentorship, and service-learning activities provided within local organizations. The program provided two cohorts of scholars from underrepresented communities with opportunities to attend seminars, present their research to community representatives, and connect with the local community. Cohort 1 consisting of ten scholars participated in a 2-year program that started in the summer of 2018. Cohort 2, consisting of seven scholars, participated in a 1-year program starting in June 2020. Overall, scholars provided positive feedback on all service-learning program activities and the effectiveness of the program in shaping career interests. New procedures developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic continued the effective management of all components of the program and helped increase engagement with the community outreach staff. The outreach program evaluated here can prepare diverse scholars to enter the workforce with interdisciplinary training for mitigating cancer disparities and serve as a model for planning and implementing similar programs at other institutions.

Triple therapy: Three departments collaborating to train medical students in rural settings.

The primary healthcare (PHC) rotation places medical students in rural district hospitals for 4 weeks during their 4th or 5th year. This rotation is a collaboration among three academic units at Stellenbosch University's Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. Learning activities during this rotation include participation in a longitudinal community-oriented primary care project, conducting rehabilitation-oriented home visits to persons with disabilities, and assessing and treating patients presenting with undifferentiated problems on an in- and outpatient basis. Working in rural contexts for a month affords students opportunities to foster meaningful relationships with the healthcare team, patients and the community, while learning about collaborative teamwork and communities. Critical reflections about the interprofessional care of patients and a community evaluation are key components of the students' learning and assessment. Demonstrating the importance of interprofessional collaboration in PHC, this integrated training model has received, and continues to receive, positive feedback from students and the clinicians involved. Attention to logistics and academic support plays a crucial role in ensuring optimal learning for students. An integrated approach that involves multiple academic units, various healthcare professions and communities is strongly recommended for those who are considering training students in rural PHC environments.

Needs of social isolation, loneliness, and intergenerational interventions in the United States: a scoping review.

Social isolation and loneliness are major health concerns for older adults in the United States. This scoping review examines the effectiveness of intergenerational interventions aimed at reducing social isolation and loneliness among older adults in the United States, specifically through programs that engage university students from healthcare-related fields in one-on-one settings with older adults, as reports of lacking geriatric training of healthcare students causes older adult neglect to persist in the healthcare workforce. The importance of addressing these issues is underscored by significant health risks and substantial economic burdens, with social isolation and loneliness potentially increasing mortality and costing Medicare an estimated $6.7 billion annually. Covering literature from 2010 to 2022, this review critically assesses the role of such interventions in fostering social connections and improving both physical and mental health outcomes. Despite the positive preliminary results indicating significant reductions in loneliness and enhancements in social networks among participants, the review highlights considerable gaps in current research, particularly in structured intervention curricula, demographic reporting and detailed intervention descriptions. This underscores the need for more rigorous and standardized research methodologies to better understand the effectiveness and potential of intergenerational programs as interventions against the detrimental effects of social isolation and loneliness among older adults.

Empowering the future: improving community wellbeing and health literacy through outreach and service-learning.

Institutions training future healthcare professionals in healthcare and community engagement play a crucial role beyond traditional classroom settings. Recognizing their potential to support under-represented groups and minorities, institutions increasingly encourage engagement with schools and community organizations. However, work remains to advance meaningful and impactful educational outreach and service-learning programs. This manuscript synthesizes the perspectives of a group of medical school educators to discuss developing sustainable programs to engage youth in Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, and Medicine (STEMM) education with a focus on biomedical science. Through near-peer education and service-learning, healthcare students can impart knowledge, provide mentorship, promote enthusiasm for STEMM fields, and nurture health-related self-efficacy within individuals and communities. Collaborative efforts through student-as-teacher approaches bridge health-related disparities and cultivate healthier, more empowered futures for all. We advocate for community outreach strategies that target future health professionals early in their education and support the scholarship of teaching and learning and program evaluation. Successful long-term programs must ensure that results are systematically assessed, measured, and perpetuated. This perspective aims to highlight the role of service learning and community outreach in increasing individual health literacy and fostering an enduring interest in STEMM careers, thereby empowering the next generation of elementary and secondary school students.

Understanding benefits of a college student-homebound adult partnership program to support aging in place: An exploratory study.

The need for effective approaches to support aging and homebound adults is recognized internationally and domestically. This exploratory study sought to understand the proximal benefits of an intergenerational program in Delaware, USA that connected homebound individuals with college students. The primary goal was to describe program impacts on home-bound community residents to inform future research, program planning, and implementation. Outcomes of interest included quality of life, well-being, and independence. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 participants recruited from a nonprofit partner. Findings yielded seven unique themes: emotional fulfillment, special feelings of support from a rare "unconditional" relationship, assistance with tasks, close connection with someone not ordinarily met, intergenerational understanding, someone to talk to, and appreciation. Additionally, the research team applied the RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance) framework, to contextualize the approach and findings. Results inform future evaluation efforts of homebound visiting programs, which may seek to incorporate outcome indicators aligned with these themes and serve as a foundation for future quantitative measures of impact.

Effectiveness of custom seating and mobility services for individuals with disabilities in Guatemala.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of custom seating and mobility services provided via an international service learning (ISL) model on the occupational performance of individuals with disabilities in Guatemala. A one-group prospective pretest-posttest design was implemented using the standardized Wheelchair Outcome Measure (WhOM - Spanish) administered on the day of wheelchair fitting, and at 3- and 6-month intervals after receiving seating and mobility services. A two-tailed t-test demonstrated a statistically significant (p < 0.001) improvement in satisfaction for in-home and out-of-home occupations for all participants (n = 71) at 3-months with a huge effect size (d > 2) and this improvement was maintained at the 6-month interval. The results were consistent for various areas of occupational performance (e.g. activities of daily living). The provision of customized seating and mobility services by occupational therapists through an ISL model demonstrated effectiveness at improving satisfaction with occupational performance for individuals with disabilities in Guatemala. Cultural humility, customization of equipment based on personal and environmental factors, inclusion of education and training, and collaboration with in-country partners were identified as contributors to positive outcomes.

Custom seating and mobility services provided by licensed occupational therapists via an international service learning (ISL) model demonstrated a significant improvement on the occupational performance of individuals with disabilities in Guatemala.The customization of equipment based on environmental and personal factors and the provision of education and training were identified as contributors to positive outcomes.Rehabilitation services delivered using an ISL model should be developed and implemented with cultural humility in collaboration with in-country partners.

Bodies and Bites: a medical school program that teaches anatomy, physiology, and nutrition to elementary school kids.

Undergraduate medical students who participate in community outreach programs gain a multitude of benefits that impact not only their professional development but also the well-being of the communities they serve. At the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine (VTCSOM), students have the opportunity to volunteer in the "Bodies and Bites" program at the West End Center for Youth, an after-school educational center that serves K-12 children in Roanoke, Virginia. The purpose of Bodies and Bites is to teach elementary school children in 2nd to 5th grade how their bodies work and how to keep them healthy through good nutrition and exercise. All sessions are led by VTCSOM medical students and graduate students from our partnering academic institution, the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute (FBRI). Each week, the children and Health Professions students explore a different topic related to human anatomy and physiology using anatomical models, small group discussions, and hands-on activities. At the end of each session, the participants create a healthy snack related to the day's topic. The overall goal of the present study was to assess the perception of the Bodies and Bites program from the view of our student volunteers, and the 4th and 5th graders who attend the West End Center. Now in its 6th year, Bodies and Bites continues to be popular as a voluntary program among our Health Professions students, and is well received by the West End Center and the elementary school children they serve. Our students and community mutually benefit from this program, with the former having an opportunity to briefly disengage from the rigors of their studies while gaining valuable skills in science communication and inspiring children to pursue fields in Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, and Medicine (STEMM), and the latter having fun while learning about their bodies and discovering ways to improve their health.

Community Partners' Perceptions of the Benefits and Burdens of Participating in a Community Engagement Course with Medical Students.

BACKGROUND: Service-learning courses improve medical students' ability and willingness to participate in community engagement as future physicians. However, few studies examine the community partners' (CP) perceptions of the utility of these courses in accomplishing the goals of their organizations. OBJECTIVE: This qualitative study sought to understand the CPs' perspective of the benefits and burdens they face while participating in a university-affiliated medical school's Community Learning and Social Medicine (CLSM) course. DESIGN: This was a qualitative focus group study conducted with CPs participating in the CLSM course. A trained facilitator virtually conducted focus groups. The study team recorded and professionally transcribed these conversations. The team subsequently developed a code book, and two independent coders analyzed all materials. The team used reflective thematic analysis to identify prominent themes. PARTICIPANTS: Fifteen out of 28 CPs participated in the study. MAIN MEASURES: The study team organized themes from the analysis into three categories: benefits to participation, challenges to participation, and minor themes. KEY RESULTS: CP-perceived benefits to participating in the CLSM course included help with organizational activities, dissemination of clinically relevant skills to medical students, and effective engagement with community members. Barriers to participation included course constraints and a lack of clarity on course content and student expectations. CPs also described their role in medical student education as an extension of faculty members. Finally, CPs offered solutions for improving course communication among site leads, students, and course instructors. CONCLUSIONS: CPs acknowledged that this service-learning course provides collective benefit to students, community organizations, and community members. However, challenges such as navigating student schedules and understanding course expectations lead to additional work for CPs. Acting on suggestions for improvement will help secure this course's longevity and collective benefit to the community.

The Academic Medicine and Leadership Track for Medical Students.

Physicians are expected to be educators and leaders, but few medical schools offer dedicated coursework or training to prepare medical students to meet those expectations. Since 2018, Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine has offered a longitudinal Academic Medicine and Leadership (AML) Track in which medical students acquire knowledge and develop skills for academic medicine and leadership that will enhance their ability to become effective educators and leaders in their clinics, hospitals, professional associations, communities, and affiliated medical schools. This paper describes the novel AML Track, its learning activities, and some of its emerging outcomes.

Bridging the gap: Innovating undergraduate public health nursing education through a service-learning health fair project.

Amidst a critical shortage of registered nurses, nursing schools are aiming to expand enrollment while working with ongoing resource constraints. Service-learning clinical activities can enhance nursing education by improving clinical quality, addressing faculty and clinical site shortages, and meeting increasing enrollment demands. This paper describes a health fair experience that served as a service-learning clinical experience within an undergraduate public health nursing course. The experience bridged theoretical knowledge with real-world application, fostering competency-based learning and addressing community health needs, resulting in a positive impact on students, faculty, and the community.

Impact of a Service-Learning Program Using Soccer Training on the Emotional and Behavioral Problems of Children with Developmental Disabilities.

Children with developmental disabilities may develop emotional and behavioral problems that arise from difficulties in social interaction, and therefore, a process of providing and testing intervention activities for emotional and behavioral issues in the early stages of development is required. This study evaluated the effects of a 12-week service-learning exercise program on children with developmental disabilities, contrasting it with a control group not engaged in specific physical activities. The participants included 18 children with developmental disabilities who participated in the service-learning exercise program (SLG) and 18 children with developmental disabilities (Non-SLG) who did not participate. The Korean Behavior Assessment System for Children-2 was used to evaluate children's emotional and behavioral problems. A two-way repeated-measures ANOVA was conducted to verify the interaction effect between the group and period according to program participation. The results showed the positive internalization of problem behaviors in the emotional domain (F = 4.291, p = 0.011), attention deficit/hyperactivity (F = 4.761, p = 0.012), and personal adjustment (F = 4.116, p = 0.023) in the SLG group. These results suggest that participation in a service-learning exercise program positively affected emotional and behavioral problems in children with developmental disabilities. This could provide a basis for future research on service-learning exercise programs for children with developmental disabilities.

Training the next generation of community-engaged physicians: a mixed-methods evaluation of a novel course for medical service learning in the COVID-19 era.

BACKGROUND: Medical school curricula strive to train community-engaged and culturally competent physicians, and many use service learning to instill these values in students. The current standards for medical service learning frameworks have opportunities for improvement, such as encouraging students to have more sustainable and reciprocal impact and to ingrain service learning as a value to carry throughout their careers rather than a one-time experience. PEDS 220: A COVID-19 Elective is a Stanford University course on the frontlines of this shift; it provides timely education on the COVID-19 pandemic, integrating community-oriented public health work to help mitigate its impact. METHODS: To analyze our medical service learning curriculum, we combined qualitative and quantitative methods to understand our students' experiences. Participants completed the Course Experience Questionnaire via Qualtrics, and were invited to complete an additional interview via Zoom. Interview transcripts were analyzed using an interactive, inductive, and team-based codebook development process, where recurring themes were identified across participant interviews. RESULTS: We demonstrate through self-determination theory that our novel curriculum gives students valuable leadership and project management experience, awards strong academic and community-based connections, and motivates them to pursue future community-engaged work. CONCLUSIONS: This educational framework, revolving around students, communities, and diversity, can be used beyond the COVID-19 pandemic at other educational institutions to teach students how to solve other emergent global health problems. Using proven strategies that empower future physicians to view interdisciplinary, community-engaged work as a core pillar of their responsibility to their patients and communities ensures long-term, sustainable positive impact. TRIAL REGISTRATION: N/A.

An undergraduate service-learning project to teach immunology concepts while increasing healthcare equity by enhancing access to stem cell donors among underrepresented populations.

Active learning has been shown to increase STEM student engagement and decrease the achievement gap among underrepresented students. As a parallel to the lack of equity in STEM education, BIPOC patients who require a life-saving hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) are much less likely-sometimes less than half as likely-than individuals of White-European descent to find a suitable donor when using the National Marrow Donation Program (NMDP). The Be the Match (BtM) Registry has made significant improvements in the likelihood of matching underrepresented patients, but the disparity persists. This activity uses a service-learning project to teach undergraduate students about stem cell donation and to add potential stem cell donors to the BtM Registry. A small data set of pre-/post-surveys from one cohort shows learning gains on the topic of HCT. The approach is flexible and scalable, and students overwhelmingly reported the project as a great use of class time and very rewarding.

Participatory community action research in homeless shelters: Outcomes for shelter residents and service-learning research assistants.

The article reports empirical outcomes of an ongoing transdisciplinary participatory community action research project that implements behavioral activation in homeless shelters. The overall goal of this Project is twofold: (1) to improve psychosocial functioning of shelter residents and enhance their opportunities to overcome homelessness; and (2) to enhance civic development of service-learning students who assist in Project implementation. Two studies are reported, representing these goals. Study 1 found that residents of a men's shelter (n = 892), women's shelter (n = 433), and transitional housing (n = 40) perceived behavioral activation sessions as immediately beneficial (i.e., important, meaningful, worthy of repeating, and enjoyable), and over the course of shelter stay, they perceived behavioral activation as contributing to their hope, empowerment/self-sufficiency, quality of life, purpose/meaning in life, wellbeing, social support, shelter social climate, and relationships with staff. Quantitative findings are supported by qualitative data (comments by residents on forms). Study 2, which replicates and extends past research on civic-development in service-learning students, used a new quasi-experimental design to compare service-learning students (n = 41) in an interdisciplinary course on homelessness versus non-service-learning students (n = 16) in a psychology course. Service-learning students showed pre- to post-semester improvements in community service self-efficacy, decreases in stigmatizing attitudes, and increases in awareness of privilege and oppression, but students not engaged in service-learning did not show these civic-related changes. These quantitative results are supported by qualitative data (written reflections by students). Results and implications are discussed within the context of the concept of psychopolitical validity.

'First, do no harm': systematic program evaluation of an equine veterinary service-learning initiative with Indigenous communities in Canada.

BACKGROUND: Veterinary students have historically lacked meaningful experiential learning opportunities in equine medicine. At the same time, there are barriers to accessing veterinary care in Indigenous communities stemming from colonial injustices. In 2018-2019, a partnership was initiated where University of Calgary students began to provide equine veterinary services to Indigenous communities. As the first-documented equine veterinary service-learning initiative in Indigenous communities embedded in a veterinary curriculum, the purpose of the study is to systematically evaluate the program for its potential impact as part of a formative process for improvement. METHODS: Multiple parties in the program were engaged in a convergent, parallel, mixed-methods systematic program evaluation to explore the main program outcomes: (1) equine veterinary care; (2) clinical experiential student education; (3) cultural training of veterinary professionals and students; and (4) education of community members. The hypothesis was that ethical development using the "first, do no harm principle" would lead to benefits including a healthy horse population, a technically and culturally competent veterinary community, and an educated horse clientele. RESULTS: The program had a positive impact on accessibility to veterinary care and self-reported improvement in veterinary and cultural competency. In addition to the hypothesized program outcomes, additional program outcomes and effects were identified, including reciprocal learning and relationship building with the Indigenous community, leading to trust and equity-building. The students learned from both the in-community programming as well as the Indigenous community members they worked with. CONCLUSION: Program evaluation of an equine service-learning initiative in Indigenous communities reveals multiple and profound impacts including improved patient health status, wider scope of veterinary and cultural learning, strengthened relationships, and reciprocal learning with partnering Indigenous communities.

Utilization of Art in Nursing Education to Enhance Student Spiritual Growth and Holistic Nursing Practice.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate student nurses' perceptions of how creative art activities might support spiritual self-exploration, foster understanding of holistic care and promote spiritual growth in relation to Mercy and Jesuit values emphasized in their nursing program. Design: A qualitative design was used with data collected through surveys and students' reflections. Methods: Students enrolled in an introductory nursing course with a service-learning component participated in the study. Students were initially asked to create drawings depicting Mercy/Jesuit charisms, spirituality, and holistic nursing then complete written reflections. At the term's end, students created group art projects connecting service learning, holistic nursing care, and spiritual growth. Students responded to survey questions regarding spirituality, Mercy/Jesuit charisms, nursing practice, and their art experiences. Findings: Surveys were completed by 122 of the 137 students who participated in the art projects. After initial difficulty with artistic expression, most students reported the projects provided an opportunity for introspection related to personal spirituality, nursing, and the impact of service-learning experiences on future nursing practice. Conclusion: Arts-based learning can help students explore and express spirituality related to nursing and support their understanding and integration of values essential to the delivery of holistic nursing care.

Australian rural service learning student placements: a national survey.

This preliminary national study is the first of its kind to investigate how service learning placements are implemented in real world settings in rural Australia and what factors enable or hinder their implementation. An anonymous survey was distributed to 17 University Departments of Rural Health (UDRH) in Australia. Numerical data were analysed descriptively. Textual data were analysed using a hybrid content analysis approach. Thirty seven respondents provided data representing 12 UDRHs. Responding UDRHs reported facilitating service learning programs, with experience in this context ranging from 3 months to 21 years. Service learning placements predominantly occurred in schools and aged care facilities. Occupational therapy, physiotherapy, and speech pathology were the most frequently involved professions in service learning. Enablers and barriers identified were categorised into: People, Partnerships, and Place and Space. This national-scale study provides a springboard for more in-depth investigation and implementation research focused on development of a conceptual model to support service learning across rural and remote Australia.