Paper
Saturday, November 12, 2005
An Academic-Community Partnership for Service-Learning in Community Health
Brenda S. Lessen, RN, MS, PhD, (c), Nursing, Illinois Wesleyan University, Bloomington, IL, USA and Susan M. Farner, PhD, MT(ASCP), Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA.
| Learning Objective #1: Describe the conception, development, and sustainability of a successful academic-community partnership |
| Learning Objective #2: Identify key benefits to students and agencies in a collaborative partnership for service-learning in nursing education |
An academic-community partnership was created between a school of nursing with students enrolled in a nursing-specific Spanish minor, a university Department of Community Health, a community health care clinic, the county health department, and a local extension service. The purpose was to develop a nutrition education program for an underserved Hispanic diabetic population. This resulted in a sustainable service-learning project for senior nursing students in community/public health, a pilot study for future educational programs, and culturally sensitive education for a high-risk minority population. The presentation will include the process of establishing this transdisciplinary collaboration, as well as key reasons for the success of the diverse partnership. A schematic model of the conception, development, and sustainability will be included. Results from this experience include student outcomes that were assessed through reflective journaling, and outcomes of all key partners in the coalition. Students reported a broadened sense of community, a new awareness of the true needs of a minority population, and culturally sensitive methods to implement a collaborative educational program specific to that population. Community partners also reported positive outcomes: a) the community health care clinic used the program outcomes for renewed funding; b) the extension service fulfilled its mission of community outreach and education; and c) the Hispanic clients received free nutritional education. This partnership also led to additional funding to the university Department of Community Health for continuing Hispanic diabetic education. The mutual goals and benefits to each partner in the collaboration were critical reasons for its success and sustainability.