The purpose of the Carver College of Medicine Service Distinction Track (SDT) is to encourage, support, and recognize medical students who work extensively with medically underserved, marginalized, and rural populations during their medical school careers.
The national Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) suggests that for accreditation, medical schools “do everything possible to facilitate service learning.” The SDT incorporates Service Learning through the following components:
- Student - mentor relationship
- Long-term service and project plan
- Sustained service work over the student’s medical school career
- Clinical experience with an underserved, marginalized, or rural population group
- Reflection throughout service activities including logs, blogs, reflective writing or critical incident journal
- Capstone Project Proposal
- Capstone Project Final Paper
- Capstone Project Presentation
Program Benefits
Participation in the SDT program will help students:
- pursue volunteering with underserved patient populations during medical school.
- focus underserved patient experiences in a meaningful way by applying academic theory to actual practice.
- learn to apply scholarly methods to service work.
- become self directed learners by working in collaboration with communities on health care issues.
- be recognized for work with underserved patient populations during medical school.
Service Distinction Track activities will be noted in the Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE) letter. Completion of Service Distinction Track participation will be noted on the student's transcript and submitted for inclusion in the award section of the graduation program.
Contact Information
If you are interested in learning more about the Service Distinction Track please contact the Service Distinction Track Director:
Samantha-Ziemba@uiowa.edu
1160A1 MERF
(319) 335-6711