Impact and Reasoning: Applying Community Service Learning in a Non-Traditional Field

Abstract

Background: Health care today is presented with a complex set of circumstances requiring exploration of new and varied teaching methodologies to produce requisite student reasoning and prepare them for professional practice. Health care practitioners require high-level clinical reasoning skills to practice, skills traditionally achieved through clinical experiences. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of a community service learning clinical experience on the clinical reasoning skills of pre-licensure nursing students. Methodology/Approach: A sample of junior-level nursing students was recruited and given the Health Science Reasoning Test pre-test. Participants then completed a community service learning clinical experience, after which they took a post-test and completed a reflective journal entry. Findings/Conclusions: Quantitative data analysis was inconclusive due to limitations. Qualitative data analysis suggested that clinical reasoning skills were affected and identified major themes (communication, holistic care, and knowledge and skills). Implications: Community service learning clinical experiences have the potential to enhance clinical reasoning skills and should be further evaluated for inclusion in today’s nursing programs.