Programming

Community Service

There are two types of required community service for LMU students:

  1. Each student must complete four hours per month of community service time with underserved populations. This time is not pre-scheduled; each student chooses the type and location of service and arranges it within his or her schedule. Examples of current students' volunteer work include: serving meals at a local soup kitchen, translating at migrant clinics, working at a free clinic, domestic violence group work, and tutoring children after school. This meets the CHM service requirement for graduation.
  2. The second type of required community service is built into the LMU schedule. Students meet for three hours every week with the goal of developing and implementing community projects to address the needs of underserved populations in Flint.

Examples of on-going LMU community projects include:

  • Organizations: LMU works with community organizations both to identify and address health education needs through Needs Assessments and subsequent development/implementation of health education presentations. Organizations LMU students have worked with include:
    • Flint Farmer's Market
    • Genesee County Department of Public Health
    • Michigan State University of Extension
    • YWCA of Flint
    • Carriage Town Mission
    • Catholic Charities
  • Community Needs Assessments (CNAs): CNAs are developed and conducted by LMU students at partner organizations. Two self-report CNAs have been developed by LMU. The goal of each CNA is to identify health education topics that community members desire, rather than working from assumptions of what the community requires. Students are present at each location during the CNA to help facilitate the process.
  • Migrant Clinic Experience: Students spend a minimum of one evening in Imlay City at a free clinic for migrant farm workers. Here students learn about providing culturally and linguistically sensitive care while maximizing limited resources. Students may be required to interpret for patients in Spanish.
  • Health Presentations: Based on the Needs Assessment results, health education presentations are then developed and presented by LMU students at each community site. Below are examples of education topics:
    • Cancer
    • Diabetes
    • Hypertension
    • Safety
    • Nutrition
    • Weight
    • Community Resources
    • Personal Goals
  • Misc: Other Projects developed and produced by LMU students:
    • Health Fairs
    • Elementary School Health Education
    • Blood Pressure Screenings
    • High School Sports Physical Clinic
  • Leadership: Students have ample opportunity to take initiative, use previously developed leadership skills, and adopt new leadership roles. Some examples include, but are not limited to:
    • Biannual Peer Review and Leadership Development: To refine leadership skills, students are reviewed twice yearly by their colleagues. The goal of this is to provide leadership development.
    • Procurement of supplies and financial donations: All financial donations and supplies used internationally are procured by students. Previous donations came from individuals, website donors, and local organizations. Each year a select number of students take on the leadership role of facilitating this critical aspect of the LMU program.

Other Program Activities

  • Coordination of Community Resources Website
  • Spanish for health care delivery -- history taking and conducting a PE -- Students must be at a low intermediate level as required by selection and commitment by students to the LMU program
  • Reflective activity -- journaling to record feelings and experiences in caring for the underserved throughout the curriculum. While in the States this should be done on a computer (laptops available) during required rotations and LMU required electives. We will discuss segments of students' journals that they choose to share at each monthly meeting.
  • Team-building activities -- e.g., resident activities, ropes course, small group activities.
  • Rural Medicine experience during Family Medicine clerkship
  • Speakers and seminars addressing issues of related to care of the underserved.
  • Collaboration with MPH students during international electives.

Leadership in Medicine for the Underserved