Developing the Civically Engaged Student Through Interprofessional Education and Community-Placed Service Learning: Three Years at Cardinal Wellness

Abstract

While studies have examined the outcomes of interprofessional service-learning activities, the use of interprofessional, community-based health programming as an opportunity for fostering civic engagement in today’s public health students is less studied. This article examines the benefits of a student-run exercise and nutrition program as an interprofessional education and service experience for undergraduate students participating in a service-learning course, degree-required practicum, capstone project, volunteer experience, or internship. An online survey with items from the Volunteer Functions Inventory, Civic Attitudes Scale, and Social Responsibility subscale of the Prosocial Behavior Battery was administered to 233 students from a diverse variety of majors. A significant increase in positive civic attitudes, volunteerism, and social responsibility scores was observed for students participating as part of one of two course-based service-learning projects, and scores on all three measures persisted at moderate-to-high levels for all students across six-semester cohorts and 3 years of program implementation. These results suggest that interprofessional service experiences are essential to the development of civic engagement competencies in today’s students, largely through the focus on collective action for social change.