Teaching social accountability by making the links: qualitative evaluation of student experiences in a service-learning project.

BACKGROUND Many medical students come into medicine with altruistic motives; few carry this altruism into their practice. As a result rural, remote and international areas are underserved by the medical community. Teaching social accountability may help students remain altruistic and encourage work in underserved areas. Making The Links (MTL) is a project designed to teach medical students the social aspects of medicine via service-learning. AIMS The purpose of the study was to explore student reflections on their experiences during the MTL program. METHODS Qualitative data analysis was conducted using structured open-ended written questionnaires. Fourteen students, representing three student cohorts, participated in the study. Data was collected between 2005 and 2007. RESULTS Six themes emerged from qualitative data analysis. (1) relationships, (2) social determinants of health in real life, (3) community development, (4) interdisciplinarity, (5) linking health and communities, and (6) personal learning. Themes reflected the opportunities and challenges experienced by the students during the MTL project. Students reported that MTL was an essential component of their medical training. CONCLUSIONS MTL is a promising model for using service-learning to teach social accountability in medical training.