Partners in Caring and Community: A Team Approach to Service-Learning
in Nursing Education
By Tristan Seifer, ed.
Community-Campus Partnerships for Health, San Francisco
2001, 98 pp., $15
(members), $25 (nonmembers)
REVIEWED BY JOAN HRUBETZ, PhD, RN
The first paragraph of this practical guide to "service learning" (SL) summarizes
the contents of the publication: representatives of nine SL partnerships in
nursing education tell their partnerships' stories. These reports are forthright
expressions of both successful and unsuccessful experiences of teams composed,
in each case, of a nursing faculty member, a nursing student, and a community
agency partner.
The editor has provided a rationale for SL in nursing education, which serves
as the backdrop for the nine SL stories. Of particular importance is the definition
of SL itself. Acknowledging that hundreds of such definitions exist, the editor
not only defines SL but also identifies six ways in which it differs from traditional
clinical nursing education. By doing so, he aids the reader unfamiliar with
the SL concept to understand the subtle differences involved in it.
For example, one difference is the emphasis on reflective practice. "Clinical
education emphasizes observing and doing but does not typically emphasize or
include opportunities for reflection," the editor writes. "Reflection is a critical
component of SL and facilitates the students' connection between their service
experience and their learning. Opportunities for reflection, through dialogue,
journals, stories and other means, encourage students to consider the contexts
of the community concerns being addressed by SL" (p. 3).
Community-Campus Partnerships for Health (CCPH) is a not-for-profit "membership
organization committed to fostering health promoting partnerships between communities
and health professional schools" (p. 1). CCPH developed this publication with
a grant from the Helene Fuld Health Trust (long a generous financial supporter
of nursing education). Its goals include the integration of SL into the curricula
of all levels of nursing education; the enlightenment of the nursing world about
SL, thereby gaining support for it; and the discovery and dissemination of new
knowledge about SL and nursing education.
In a competitive process, nine teams were awarded grants to develop partnerships
for SL. The nine teams and their programs are:
- Bethel College and Rice Creek Covenant Church, both in St. Paul, MN, which
have developed a parish nursing program as part of a graduate course on Christian
health care leadership
- Indian Hills Community College, Ottumwa, IA, and Jefferson County Hospital,
Fairfield, IA, which provide wellness care for the rural elderly and SL opportunities
in an advanced nursing program
- Kapi'olani Community College and the American Red Cross, both in Honolulu,
which provide HIV prevention education to the community as part of an associate
level adult health nursing course
- Millikin University and the Community Health Improvement Center, both in
Decatur, IL, which provide care to the medically indigent as part of an undergraduate
community health nursing leadership course
- Nebraska Methodist College of Nursing and Allied Health and Catholic Charities
of the Archdiocese of Omaha, both in Omaha, which provide mental health services
in conjunction with an undergraduate mental health nursing course
- Stephen F. Austin State University and East Texas Community Health Services,
both in Nacogdoches, TX, which provide health services to the elderly and
other medically underserved groups in conjunction with an undergraduate nursing
leadership course
- The University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and La Clinica Tepeyac,
both in Denver, which provide care to Latino and Asian immigrants as part
of the School of Nursing's capstone nursing seminar for undergraduate and
graduate nursing students
- The University of Massachusetts and Company HealthLink's Homeless Outreach
Advocacy Program, both in Worcester, MA, which involve graduate nursing students
in the care of the homeless
- The University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, and Hope House, Inc., Independence,
MO, which provide services to survivors of domestic violence in conjunction
with the graduate nurse-midwifery program at the university's Sinclair School
of Nursing
In addition to the definitions, goals, and purposes of SL, the editor has
provided suggestions for use of the publication. If he had expanded these suggestions,
he would have strengthened this section of the publication.
The team reports are the most interesting section. In them, each of the nine
teams describes its project and provides an overview of it; the partners' goals
and their definition of SL; the project's achievements and sustainability; as
well as reflections on the project and lessons learned from it.
The team faculties and students describe their experiences by responding to
a series of questions:
- What are you most proud of?
- What would you like other people to say about your program?
- What is the mistake from which you learned the most?
- How did you overcome it?
The answers are forthright and, in some cases, compelling. They should give
the reader insight into the complexities of SL.
Course descriptions and syllabi, which are included, will be of assistance
to those looking for models of SL. An annotated bibliography comprises 34 books
and peer-reviewed publications.
This publication is a welcome addition to the literature on SL. It provides
a framework for development, implementation, and evaluation of SL. I recommend
it as a primer for novices. Perhaps the most helpful parts are the candid answers
of the faculty and students as they reflect on their experiences.
Joan Hrubetz, PhD, RN
Dean, Saint Louis University
School of Nursing
Interim Dean, Saint Louis University School of Allied Health Professions
St. Louis
Copyright © 2003 by the Catholic Health Association of the United States
For reprint permission, contact Betty Crosby or call (314) 253-3477.