| Abstrakt: |
Service learning in higher education has a well-documented and robust history in expanding outcomes and experiences for both students and community organization. This research paper discusses a case study of a service learning project where undergraduate students in an independent study, following a semester in a Medical Sociology course, assisted a local hospital as it transitioned to "Baby-Friendly" status. Five students performed a variety of duties, including data entry and analysis, creating data collection tools, and interviewing staff and patients about hospital experiences. The goals of the project on the students' end were to provide experience in a career setting, encourage students to problem solve, and encourage independent connections with non-academic supervisors. The hospital benefitted from having students perform interviews with patients and staff, develop an interview tool, and develop a global spreadsheet to collect, organize, and analyze data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
