First-year pharmacy students' perceptions of their service-learning experience

American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, Fall 2000 by Barner, Jamie C

To determine the effects of a service-learning experience, first year pharmacy students were surveyed on the following: (i) perceptions regarding cultural diversity, the elderly, the poor, and the disabled; and (ii) perceptions regarding community service and social support; (iii) perceptions regarding their servicelearning assignment were also assessed. One hundred fourteen students were surveyed on objectives 1 and 2 prior to their service-learning experiences. Students were surveyed on all three objectives after completing their service-learning experience. Using a five-point Likert scale (1=strongly disagree to 5=strongly agree), respondents rated their level of agreement with a series of statements. T-tests were used to compare their pre- and post-test responses. A total of 112 (98 percent) students completed the survey. Comparisons of the pre and post-tests revealed that there was a significant increase in mean perception scores regarding: community service (P--0.02), and patients' need for social support (P

INTRODUCTION

Service-learning (S-L) is a type of experiential education in which students learn through serving others. As pharmacy and other health professions continue to focus on "patient-centered" care, S-L has been one of the avenues used to understand the social support that is needed by patients. One of the ways that S-L promotes "patient-centered" care is that it provides an opportunity for students to understand and experience challenges faced by many patients, which, in turn, helps to promote a sense of "caring" for others.

Colleges of pharmacy have incorporated S-L programs into their curricula in a variety of formats(1-14). The primary objectives of these programs have centered on building communication skills and learning about underserved populations. Although three schools(4,6,13) have developed S-L programs that incorporate first-year pharmacy students into a S-L experience, most(3,5,8,9-12,14) programs have focused on advanced year pharmacy students as well as clerkship rotations.

The outcomes of S-L projects are varied. The most frequently reported outcome of S-L is that is promotes a greater understanding of the health needs of a population(3,6,10-12). The second most reported outcome of S-L is how the experience enhanced written and verbal communication skills(3,6,9,12). According to Strand, et al.(15), the pharmaceutical care process begins with: (i) establishing a relationship with the patient; and (ii) collecting, synthesizing, and understanding patient specific data. Both of the primary S-L outcomes of understanding health needs and increasing communication complement the skills needed to initiate the pharmaceutical care process as described above. Additional outcomes of S-L programs included increasing awareness of community service and the social needs(3,6,9,11,13). Additionally, S-L programs were reported to increase students' understanding of and appreciation for diversity(3,9,11). Although authors have reported very positive outcomes from their S-L programs, the outcomes were reported qualitatively or were measured after the completion of the S-L program. To examine changes over time, this study examined students' perceptions as well as their outcomes using pre-and post-test surveys.

The University of Texas College of Pharmacy (UT COP) has incorporated S-L as a required component for first-year pharmacy students. Students are required to complete 18 hours of continuous service in a single service agency of their own choosing, along with the course coordinator's approval. Details of the UT COP S-L program are detailed elsewhere (see Am. J. Pharm. Educ., 64, 260-265(2000). The primary goals of the students' S-L experience were twofold: (i) to develop sensitivity to and comfort level with persons who represent a variety of human differences (cultural, racial, age, economic, disability, or disease); and (ii) to develop a greater understanding and appreciation for the value of community service and social support. The purpose of this project was to assess first-year pharmacy students' perceptions regarding their S-L experience. The following were objectives for this project:

1. determine whether perceptions regarding cultural diversity, the elderly, the poor, and the disabled differed before and after the S-L experience;

2. determine whether perceptions regarding community service and social support differed before and after the S-L experience; and

3. determine their overall perceptions regarding their S-L experience.

METHODOLOGY

Questionnaire

To address objectives 1 and 2, which were to assess attitudes and perceptions regarding cultural diversity, the elderly, the poor, the disabled, community service, and social support, an adapted version of an instrument previously used in the S-L courses at Purdue University) was utilized. The instrument was not previously evaluated for reliability, but it was evaluated for content validity by pharmacy practice and administration researchers. The following is a description of the survey instrument utilized in this study (also see Appendix).