Notes Development of a Service-Learning Program

unteer service opportunities which developed over three years into co-curricular service-learning. This report describes the development and integration of service-learning into the curriculum. Initially, a phar-macy faculty member established a relationship with care providers and administrators of two programs serving low-income communities, a summer camp for children in a housing project and a program pro-viding free medical care to homeless and low-income patients. Pharmacy students participated in both projects; some volunteered while others formally registered for course credits. Survey results revealed that students perceived that the experience enhanced their AACP outcome competencies in the areas of clinical knowledge/skills, communication and interpersonal skills, empathy, professionalism, and social awareness. These results led to the implementation of an eight-hour/semester service requirement for second-year students in the Doctor of Pharmacy program. One hundred students completed this require-ment for the Fall, 1997, and Spring, 1998, semesters. During the 1998-99 academic year, changes were made to further integrate service-learning into the curriculum. First-year students were required to partic-ipate in eight hours of community service per month, and second-year students assisted pharmacists in free clinics serving homeless and low-income patients once per semester. Although service-learning demands the commitment of faculty time and resources, it is feasible and valuable to integrate service-learning into a PharmD curriculum