"Enter to learn, go forth to serve": service learning in nursing education

The Pew Health Professions Commission (1998) has recommended community-based service learning as an integral part of nursing education. Service learning activities in a baccalaureate nursing program with an integrated curricular model are described with a women's health elective used as one example of the integration of service learning with clinical experiences. Based on clinical journal entries, students identified benefits of service learning including (1) a sense of personal satisfaction, (2) professional growth, (3) a higher level of critical thinking skills, (4) preparation for nursing practice in a dynamic and diverse health care delivery system, and (5) an increased awareness of unmet needs in clients, families, communities, and populations. Students are truly engaged because they have the opportunity to apply theoretical concepts in giving service, creating a "capacity for connectedness," and learning social responsibility as professionals.