Rush Community Service Initiatives Program: Next Generation Leadership
Development
Title of Physician Poster
Marilyn Wideman, DNP, RN-BC, FAAN, Sharon Gates, M.A., Vanessa Archil MS4, Marc Dadios MS3
Background
e
Rush Community Service Initiatives Program (RCSIP)
is a community engagement and all volunteer student
and faculty program that was established in the early
1990s at Rush University Medical Center’s (RUMC)
medical college. The intent was to create a network of
sustainable volunteer community service programs that
matched the medical students’ interests with social and
healthcare needs of underserved communities living on
the Westside of Chicago. The underlying aims of
RCSIP include: 1) providing students with
opportunities to apply the knowledge gained in the
classroom and their clinical placements to diverse
populations in community settings, 2) providing
collaborate opportunities with faculty, interprofessional
groups, and with community partners, 3) developing
leadership skills, and 4) becoming more culturally
competent providers.
RCSIP has evolved to an interprofessional program
involving students and faculty from all colleges within
the university. The categories of the 26 RCSIP
programs include healthcare access clinics, health
education and promotion initiatives, healthcare
profession pipeline training within the Chicago Public
System, and various social support programs. All
programs are aligned with assessed community needs
and with RUMC’s strategies to address community
needs.
RCSIP Methodology
Outcomes
•University Community Engagement Office
All outcomes by self report anonymous surveys
•Student governance
•Leadership group for each RCSIP program
•RCSIP Core student leadership group
• Improved understanding of:
• Health challenges in resource poor environments
• Community healthcare needs
• Roles of healthcare providers in community settings
• Interprofessional team work toward common goals
• Personal role in supporting health in the community
•Community partners
•Volunteers
•Rush students
•External students
•Faculty
•Staff
•Alumni
•Funding
•University
•RU Caring Service Grants
•External grants
•Community partner support
•Alignment
•RUMC’s CHNA findings
•RUMC’s CHNA implementation strategy
•Collective impact: program layering
• Improved confidence in communicating with:
• Individuals in resource poor environments
• Healthcare providers outside own discipline
• Individual of diverse cultures and backgrounds
• Enhanced abilities:
• Working with interprofessional teams
• Community care skills
• Team building skills
• Working in groups
Summary & Conclusion
•Career preparedness
•Leadership development
•Interprofessional awareness
•Broader community/patient understanding
•Impact on patient interactions/approach
•Career impact
•Work setting/specialty
•Patient population
•Volunteer work
•Co-curricular reinforcement
•Student recruitment