Transforming attitudes of nursing students: evaluating a service-learning experience

Homelessness is a compelling social and public health issue. Nurse educators are challenged to better prepare graduates to serve this growing segment of the population. Clinical experiences with those experiencing homelessness allow students a better understanding of this population and may foster more compassionate care. This pretest-posttest intervention study examined nursing students' attitudes toward homelessness before and after participation in a service-learning clinical rotation with families experiencing homelessness. Twenty-three students enrolled in a public health nursing course at a small midwestern university participated in the research. The Attitudes Toward Homelessness Inventory was used to measure students' attitudes at the beginning and end of the course. Data analysis using descriptive statistics revealed significant differences in both global and specific attitudes toward people experiencing homelessness. These results suggest the clinical experiences positively influenced students' attitudes and support the value of integrating service-learning clinical opportunities with homeless individuals into nursing curricula.