Student perceptions of a service-learning experience

Pharmacy schools are adopting service-learning to foster communication and interaction skills, social responsibility, and a philosophy of caring. This study describes the extent students believed two required service-teaming programs met these objectives. Students in the first year (P1) of a four year doctor of pharmacy program spent 24 hours per term at community service agencies and second year students (P2) attended clinics for the medically underserved for four hours per term. Most of the students (93.4 percent) completed the Service Experience Questionnaire, an internally consistent instrument consisting of forty-nine closed-ended items, after their experience. A majority of Fl's (64.0 percent) and P2's (86.0 percent) felt that the experience was educational. These experiences enhanced their respect for the individual, awareness of others in need, confidence in interacting with others and provided them with an opportunity to improve their communication skills. These results support the utility of an experiential learning pedagogy to meet the AACP's educational objectives.