“A life-changing experience and the beginning of a lifelong commitment”: Experiences and Impact of Global Health Community Service-Learning in Undergraduate Dental Curriculum

Abstract

Background Global health community-service learning (GHCSL) can have a profound professional and personal impact on learners. This pedagogy provides understanding of unfamiliar environments and challenges them to step out of their comfort zones, adapt to new cultures, and navigate unique situations. Yet, there are relatively few qualitative studies exploring the experiences of learners participating in community service-learning placements in global regions. This current investigation aimed to explore the experiences and impact of the GHCSL program in East Africa among undergraduate dental students at Schulich Dentistry.Methods Eight undergraduate dental learners were enrolled in GHCSL pilot placements. Placement agreements were established with Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda, and the University of Rwanda in Kigali, Rwanda for the summer of 2022. The stakeholders from both institutions were engaged in the development and implementation of these placements. The learners were encouraged to engage in weekly reflection through a ‘storytelling and incident-based narrative’ while carrying out their placement. An inductive interpretive approach was utilized to thematically analyze the learners’ reflective essays.Results Five major themes emerged from the learners’ reflective essays: (1) experiential clinical learning; (2) enhanced cultural and social integration; (3) awareness of contrasting healthcare systems; (4) commitment to service; and (5) personal and professional growth. Most learners reflected on their engagement with diverse communities, being exposed to unique patient cases, and witnessing the adaptability exuded in resource-constrained environments. These experiences presented the learners with an opportunity to develop cultural competence and gain a newfound motivation and dedication to mitigate global oral health disparities in populations beyond that of their local communities. Learners also reflected on enhanced social integration experiences and the awareness of contrasting healthcare systems in Canada and their placements, which encouraged the development of empathy, communication, and compassion skills, as well as an understanding of the disproportionate burden of conditions in resource-constrained communities.Conclusion The reflective essays concluded that the GHCSL placements had a positive impact on the learners, encouraging many to develop a heightened desire for lifelong learning to address oral health disparities within a global context.