Learning Objective #1: Describe how service learning can be incorporated into an undergraduate nursing curriculum.

Learning Objective #2: Outline the benefits of service learning in teaching students about the importance of civic engagement and social responsibility.

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Community service learning has been utilized to teach nursing students how be become actively engaged in the communities they will be serving with varying degrees of success. Aim: The purpose of this report was to describe a collaborative service learning project to prepare seniors, disabled persons and the mentally ill for a disaster. Method: Students were required to write reflective journals about how the service learning experience will influence their future nursing practice. Results: Themes that emerged from the reflective journals included "concern”, “isolation and loneliness”, “neglect and marginalization” “increased awareness of vulnerable populations”, “new sense of civic engagement” and “bio-psycho-social diversity”. Conclusion: Though the project was successful, nursing faculty need to consider new teaching methodologies so that they can adequately mentor students through the community service learning experience.