Community Service Requirement

All medical students are required to complete 15 hours of health related community service. Students may file a yearly report on their activities on our website or complete a report form before January of their 4th year (reporting forms are available in the Community Based Education office). The community service requirement grew out of a tradition of community service involvement by University of Connecticut medical students and a desire to provide institutional support for these activities. Community service activities include health promotion, intervention, and clinical care. Dental, M.P.H. and other graduate students are invited to participate in these activities.

The student-operated community service projects include health education and mentoring in Hartford schools, free clinics serving pregnant, homeless, migrant, and adolescent populations, and a health education program with the American School for the Deaf.

The 15 hour community service requirement can be completed at any time. Students may choose to work with an agency in their practice community or with one of the many ongoing service projects in the Greater Hartford area.

Goals

General goals for this experience include:

• Incorporating clinical skills into community settings
• Augmenting professional education through experience with community activities
• Contributing needed services to the community

Oversight Committee

An oversight committee with representation from students, faculty, and community leaders helps students who want to develop new projects. Additional information and resources are available in the Office of Community Based Education, Department of Community Medicine, located in AG073.