Nurses on a mission: a professional service learning experience with the inner-city homeless.
Nursing students can play a vital role in addressing the health care needs of the homeless. Through professional service learning experiences in community-based settings, students learn how to partner with key community leaders and agencies to meet the needs of underserved populations and provide culturally competent care to diverse populations. This article describes the development of a professional service learning experience with the homeless in which a community-academic partnership was created to meet community needs. In an era of declining health care resources, such innovative partnerships serve to reduce health disparities and improve access to care while preparing students for community-based practice with at-risk and vulnerable populations.
Lashley
Mary
M
Department of Nursing, Towson University, Maryland, USA. mlashley@towson.edu
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003152:Community Health Nursing / Q000193:education*; D003159:Community-Institutional Relations; D004508:Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate / Q000458:organization & administration*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006703:Ill-Housed Persons; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening; D008507:Medically Underserved Area; D017145:Models, Educational; D024802:Nurse's Role / Q000523:psychology; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D015402:Nursing Education Research; D010687:Philosophy, Nursing; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation; D033303:Protestantism; D008921:Religious Missions / Q000458:organization & administration; D013338:Students, Nursing / Q000523:psychology; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis; D019037:Urban Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*