Health-related experimental learning for college undergraduates

Guided service experience commonly enriches medical education at the doctoral and postdoctoral levels but rarely has been offered to premedical students. Internships in health agencies were individually arranged for 198 self-selected college undergraduates in 101 different settings which emphasized the social, economic, and interpersonal factors in health care. Students served as nursing aides, clinical assistants, and health educators and in other nontechnical roles; each wrote an analytical report based upon a study plan and firsthand observations. The expectations of both students and host institutions were usually exceeded. Benefits included help in career decisions, exercise in self-directed learning, and demonstration of noncognitive qualities desired in professional work. The authors conclude that undergraduate students are competent to deal with sensitive ethical and social issues in patient care and to provide needed health services of high quality.