Service Requirements for your first year of PA school

Service Requirements for your first year of PA school Christy Lejkowski, PA-S AmeriCorps Scholar in Service 2013-2014

First Year Service Requirements • All Lock Haven University students are required to complete service hours as part of their degree program • Physician Assistant students are required to complete a minimum of 3 community service activities in the first year of PA school (but who wants to do just the minimum?) • Serving underserved populations is a major focus of Lock Haven’s PA program and something you will become more familiar with over the course of the didactic year

The Specifics of the Service Requirements • 3 Service Activities • 2 Medical Service Activities • 1 Non-Medical Service Activity

What counts as a Medical Activity? • Blood pressure screenings • Health education programs • Glucose screenings • Volunteering as an EMT • Assisting with migrant worker health clinics • Volunteering at a medical disaster preparedness activity • Giving flu shots at a community clinic • Organizing a blood drive & generating donors

What Counts for Non-Medical Service? • Community clean ups • Serving food at a shelter or soup kitchen • Organizing a food drive • Social or crafting activities with the elderly • Reading to children • Being a Big Brother or Big Sister • Volunteering with other community organizations

How do I find opportunities to serve in my community?

Examples of Local Service Activities • Each campus is unique and students will find a variety of activities close to their home campus • Coudersport activities are often driven by hospital outreach programs such as the flu clinic, wilderness educational programs and Afternoon Tea for Breast Cancer Survivors • Harrisburg has a variety of community organizations to work with as well as the Migrant Workers Clinic, Ronald McDonald House and Essex House • Clearfield students can check out Curwensville Days and well as opportunities to serve food and do health screenings at a local church • Lock Haven students can take advantage of health fairs held on campus as well as campus-wide service activities • BUT – you are encouraged to travel around to the different campuses and participate in a variety of service projects with your classmates!

Who’s in charge around here? • Your AmeriCorps Scholar in Service is Jessica Luedtke! (Say Hi Jess!) • She’ll be sending out emails periodically with different opportunities for service activities – OPEN HER EMAILS and READ THEM!!! • Even though Jess is sending out ideas and events you are still encouraged to identify opportunities in your community and share with your classmates

Don’t forget the faculty! • Faculty members are also excellent resources and will inform you of service opportunities throughout the year • They know the campus communities very well and can help connect you with an organization which could use a helping hand

Want to find your own activities? • Get in touch with your local hospital • Hospitals frequently organize community health screenings and charity events and can often use volunteers! • Contacting the volunteer coordinator at your local hospital can be a great start to finding a service event in your area • Contact organizations in your community like Red Cross, YMCA, Salvation Army, etc. Ask if you can set up a blood pressure screening table or health education table at an upcoming event. • Spend time with seniors! There are Community Living Centers/Nursing Homes in every community and the residents would love a smiling young face to spend some time with  • Google Search – the internet is full of ideas and activities! • Don’t be afraid to plan your own events and get out in your communities!

Getting credit where credit is due… • Jess, your AmeriCorps Scholar in Service, is the keeper of your hours • Once you complete a service activity it is YOUR responsibility to email Jess (jrl7720@lhup.edu) with a short description of the event, what you did at the event and time spent at the event • It’s not a bad idea to let your campus faculty or advisor know when you participate in service activities • The PSPA and AAPA love to hear about your service activities – take pictures, write a short summary of the activity and submit them to Lane Bower so she can your accomplishments recognized on a large scale

What about Fundraising? • Fundraising does not count as service • The goal of a service activity to to come face to face with members of your community and better their life through positive interactions and education and by lending a helping hand • Fundraising is awesome and something you’ll need to do over the course of the next year, but you cannot count it as a service activity

What about an activity like Relay for Life? • Raising money and walking in the Relay for Life or similar fundraising activity does not count towards your service hours • Assisting with the planning and execution of an event like Relay for Life does count as a service activity • Setting up a health education table at an event like Relay for Life and talking to people about their health and wellness does count as a service activity • Does that make sense? (a la Dan Gales)

What about a Blood Drive? • Donating blood, plasma, bone marrow or an organ? Sorry it doesn’t count for service but way to go!!! • Helping to plan, organize, set-up/break-down a blood drive or organ donor registration event? It counts! Yippee!

Medical vs. Non-Medical Service • In order for an event to be considered a medical activity you should be providing a medically relevant service – this includes health screenings and education • As a rule of thumb, if you are applying/sharing knowledge you gained in PA school or as a nurse, EMT or other medical professional, it counts as medical service • The final decision will be made by Jess, Craig Ernst and the PA program faculty - when in doubt ask for clarification

Summary • Remember: You have to participate in THREE service activities between now and the end of your first year. • 2 MEDICAL • 1 NON-MEDICAL • These are YOUR service requirements! You are responsible for getting to events and actively participating! • Jess and the faculty will help you find events and keep track of your progress • YOU need to make sure that you actually get around to doing all 3 service projects before May 2015 – don’t put them all off until the spring semester! • Be an overachiever! Do as much service as you can and let Jess know about it – service is awesome!!

Community Service is Fun! • You got into the medical field because you want to make a difference in people’s lives – now is a good time to start! • Interacting with people will help to break up the monotony of sitting in a classroom all day learning – practical application will help information stick in your super saturated brains • Have FUN doing these! Think of this not as a chore, but as an opportunity to: • Make connections and network in your community • Spiff up your CV • Begin a lifelong commitment to service!

Thanks for Listening! Any questions about your service requirements? Any questions about PA school in general? If you think of a question later, feel free to contact me! CLL6@lhup.edu

Service Requirements for your first year of PA school