Summative Service-Learning Reflection

Brooke Reamer
April 12, 2016
At the beginning of the nursing program, I had some expectations of service-learning. I
was aware that I had to take a service-learning class and that I was required to do certain servicelearning activities in several of my classes throughout the program. I knew I would be doing
some community service type projects and expected that I would be helping people, but not
really learning anything. My expectations to help people was met, but I was wrong when I
thought I would not learn much from the experiences. For example, I volunteered at St. Josephs
Villa at one point during the program, and learned all about the services provided to special
needs children, children with mental illness, and children of vulnerable populations. With
Homeward, I learned so much about the homeless population of Richmond.
I also noticed a lot of strengths, as well as problems in the community. Through servicelearning, I have seen that there are a multitude of programs to help people with all sorts of needs.
I did not even realize St. Josephs Villa was also an orphanage. The biggest problem I noticed
with all my projects was lack of resources. It is impossible to provide adequate services to
everyone in need. For example, with Homeward, I noticed many of the participants were lacking
in medical and dental care. It would be impossible to provide adequate, long term medical care to
these people. They are constantly moving and there is no way to keep in touch with them in some
cases, so it is just unreasonable to think that we would provide long term help to some of the
homeless population. I noticed Homeward had several solutions, though not completely
adequate. They gave free haircuts and pointed participants in the right direction to obtain medical

care. St. Josephs Villa did not have enough room to take in every child in need, but they also
provided outreach programs to help those that could not stay there or come there.
My experiences with service-learning in helping needy communities has shapes my
values. I have learned to appreciate small things. I have also realized the importance of being
selfless and helping others. I used to always put myself first and think of only myself, whereas
now, I feel like I recognize other peoples needs and put others equal to myself. I find myself
being more observant of other peoples needs. I have developed a lot more empathy through the
nursing program, too.
I learned a lot about the needs of the Richmond area community through my servicelearning projects. Richmond has a very high homeless population in comparison to a lot of other
cities. I learned a lot about the homeless populations needs, too. For example, most of them
needed medical and dental care, lacked hygiene products, lacked a healthy diet, needed new
clothes, warm clothes and blankets, unworn shoes, etc. There is a great need for resources, in
general. People need food, clothing, shelter, and organizations to help them. Mental illness is
prevalent, and those with mental illness may require even more resources. For instance, there are
some adults with mental illness that are unable to work due to mental illness and need help to
treat their issues before they can function in society. There are also children with behavioral
problems and mental illness that need help. The biggest problem is overall lack of resources to
help those in need.
The service-learning projects I have participated in have been relevant to the community
and my learning experiences. For example, in my vulnerable populations class, our focus was
learning about the needs of vulnerable populations. This was met by participating in servicelearning and community service. I was able to provide activities to the children at St. Josephs

Villa that had behavioral issues, so I was serving the community, while meeting the needs of my
class and learning more about vulnerable populations. The goal of my servant leadership class is
to learn how to be a servant leader, which I did through working with Homeward. I was able to
use all the ways of leading like Jesus and other leadership techniques to help serve people in
need. At the same time, I was able to survey homeless people in order to find out what their
needs were.
My service-learning experiences have influenced my perception of my call to serve.
When I first started the nursing program, I was looking at nursing as a job where I would make
decent money, help people, and have a good career. Now, I can see that nursing is a great service.
Not only will I have a great career, but I can continue to be a servant leader and help others. I do
not necessarily feel called to serve, but I can certainly see where my nursing career will
involve serving others that cannot help themselves. It always warms the heart to be able to see
positive patient outcomes as a result of work that you did personally. My service-learning
experiences have helped me see this by doing community service activities. I had not
participated in many community service activities before nursing school. The ones I did
participate in were just community service hours for clubs I was in during high school. I did not
have to do projects, presentations, or reflections on them. After completing the projects and
reflections, I have been able to look back and recognize the good I have done. It makes me feel
good knowing I have helped others.
My concept of service-learning has changed slightly since beginning nursing school.
Before nursing school, I looked at service-learning more as community service hours. Now I see
it as helping those in need. I feel like I can really make a difference through service-learning
now. Service-learning in my other classes gave me an introduction to service-learning, whereas

this class gave me a more in depth look into it. I understand the concepts of leadership and
serving the needy more. In previous classes, I slowly learned that these concepts for necessary to
be a successful nurse. Now I can make the connections and see the importance of servant
leadership in the nursing profession, and I have a better understanding of the concepts after
reading Leading like Jesus and learning all the components of leadership.
Civic engagement is where people like me participate in activities or provide services or
goods to help the community. This could mean collecting canned goods for the needy, helping
build houses for Habitat for Humanity, giving free haircuts to the homeless, or participating in
groups that raise awareness of certain issues. It is anything that people do for the community to
help provide a better future for everyone. After I graduate, I plan to stay engaged with the
community by participating in community service projects. At Bon Secours, we have several
opportunities to do this. My unit participates in Habitat for Humanity, for example. I also like to
participate in races that raise money for organizations. I will continue to do this and seek
opportunities to help the less fortunate. At Bon Secours, community service activities are
actually a requirement. Since I will no longer be in school, I will have plenty of time to go help
my community.