Impact of Indiana University School of Medicine’s Service Learning Experience in the Dominican Republic on Medical Students

Abstract

Service learning experiences are used at the high school, undergraduate, and graduate levels of educational spaces as opportunities for academic and professional development in the context of community service. Over the past few years, Indiana University School of Medicine has led a weeklong service learning trip in December to the Dominican Republic in partnership with the 7 Elements organization. The trip includes medical brigades to rural communities, educational activities, and reflection. This project seeks to examine the impact that this service experience has on medical students including their personal and professional development. Participants of the 2023 cohort were surveyed anonymously roughly a year after their experience. Participants of the 2024 trip were surveyed before and after their trip. For the 2024 cohort, our study found that participants felt better prepared to work with migrant patients, Spanish-speaking patients, and underserved communities after the trip. The majority of participants also reported having a greater desire to work with underserved communities and engage with other service learning opportunities in the future. Overall, the trip has been of some benefit to medical students when it comes to their professional development and increasing their desire to work with underserved and global populations.