Novel Training Program for Health Science Graduate Students Improves Interprofessional and Community Engagement Competencies.

Abstract

Background: Volunteering at student-run free clinics (SRFCs) is a common way for health science graduate stu¬dents to engage with the community. Although these students come from a multiplicity of educational and experiential backgrounds, it is uncommon for institutions or clinics to incorporate standards for ethical community engagement into their curriculum. Despite positive intentions, having volunteers who are not prepared to engage with the community can lead to unproductive or harmful patient interactions.

Purpose: Student leaders at the SRFC Phillips Neighborhood Clinic (PNC) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, designed a training series to introduce and sustain meaningful community engagement by fostering inter¬professionalism and systemic awareness.

Methods: New PNC volunteers attended three training sessions utilizing lecture-style curriculum delivery and case-based learning. Following the final session, volunteers completed an 18-item survey rating program-related competencies before and after training on a 5-point Likert scale.

Results: Of 193 new volunteers,155 (80%) completed the study, and 137 (71%) from 10 professional programs were included in the analysis. Most participants (91%) reported an improvement in at least one assessed competency. On average, volunteers had a self-assessed increase in all competencies, including interprofessional workplace cultural humility, structural competency, structural humility, teamwork, and difference making (p<0.01). The greatest mean change was reflected in teamwork-based competencies (0.66), while the smallest mean change was in structural humility (0.46).

Conclusion: This approach for integrating community engagement training into SRFCs supports volunteers' immediate skills and long-term professional development, prepares them for clinic leadership, and introduces them to community engagement work as healthcare professionals.