Meeting the Goals of Service Learning in Pharmacy Education through Community Campus Partnerships

Abstract

Healthy People 2010, published by the US Department of Health and Human Services, is a statement of health objectives for the nation to be achieved by the end of this decade. The goals are to increase quality and years of healthy life and to eliminate health disparities. In 2006, the West Virginia University School of Pharmacy began a revision to its Doctor of Pharmacy curriculum to include pharmacy practice experiences that would provide students with experience in developing disease prevention and health promotion programming in the community. Thus, the School of Pharmacy began a three-semester longitudinal service learning program which focused on advancing the objectives of Healthy People 2010 through service learning. The experiences of the School of Pharmacy service learning program from 2006 to the present are detailed.