Community Based Education and Service: The HPSISN Experience

Health service delivery is increasingly shifting to community-based settings. The competencies required of future health professionals require a shift in their educational preparation. Service-learning is suggested as an educational method with the potential to reform health professions education in tandem with the changes occurring in the health services delivery. The Health Professions Schools in Service to the Nation (HPSISN), a US demonstration project of service learning in the health professions, examines the impact of service learning on students, faculty, communities, and institutions across a wide array of university and community settings. This paper describes the evaluation of the HPSISN program, including the evaluation model, key study questions, findings and lessons learned. The HPSISN evaluation was designed to assess the effectiveness of service learning activities through university-community partnerships. The evaluation model was built upon a case study approach first developed for assessment of service-learning courses at Portland State University and honors the participants' commitment to mutually beneficial community partnerships. The findings illustrate the implications of service-learning in the health professions and the lessons learned for education and evaluation.