AdvoCaring: A cocurricular program to provide advocacy and caring to underserved populations in Baltimore

Abstract

Objective. To incorporate direct patient care and service components throughout a 4-year pharmacy program to enable students to apply knowledge learned in the classroom and develop the human and caring dimensions of Fink’s Taxonomy of Significant Learning. Design. Groups of 10-12 students and a faculty advisor partnered with a local agency serving an underserved population of the greater Baltimore area to provide seven hours of service per student each semester. Activities were determined based on students’ skills and agency needs. Assessment. Over 10 000 hours of care were provided from fall 2009 through spring 2014 for clients at 12 partner agencies. Student feedback was favorable. Conclusion. Cocurricular learning enables students to use their skills to benefit local communities. Through an ongoing partnership, students are able to build on experiences and sustain meaningful care initiatives.