Impact of a service-learning project on nursing students.

Abstract

This article describes the incorporation of a service-learning project in a maternal-infant health course in a baccalaureate nursing program. Partnership goals between university faculty and project Early Head Start were to develop and implement a clinical education experience that not only enhanced services to teenage mothers, but also taught students key elements in the delivery of community services to this vulnerable population. This article examines the impact of the service-learning experience on students' understanding of diversity, perceptions of social responsibility in community service, and health care issues. Implications for faculty investment of time and resources are also explored.