| Community-Based Education, Interprofessional Education And Service Learning |
We at the University of the Free State are strongly committed to societal engagement and to strengthening the framework of the communities we serve. Engaged scholarship refers to the way universities engage the diverse community in which they operate. Engagement with the community enriches the curriculum, research initiatives, teaching, and student attributes. A key element of engaged scholarship is to link local needs with global knowledge projects and maintain the relevance of the academic syllabus. In the Faculty of Health Science (FoHS) at the UFS, Community Based Education (CBE) is a key component of primary health care (PHC) initiatives. A community-based approach to education is essential in addressing the health concerns of the whole community. By interacting with the community, students can gain a deeper understanding of what is needed in the community. Healthcare professionals are encouraged to collaborate through interprofessional education (IPE). Collaborative practice is one of the critical competencies of interprofessional education (IPE). Interprofessional competencies are developed through the Rural Community Initiative offered by the FoHS on the CBE-IPE platform in the Kopanong Municipality, Xhariep District. Core competencies such as the identification of roles and responsibilities, patient-centered care, professionalism, and communication between professionals are developed via IPE placements on the collaborative practice platform in Trompsburg and Springfontein.
‘Kopanang le fodise – United to heal’ is the motto for this project in the Southern Free State
All fourth-year students of the Faculty of Health Sciences will each spend at least a week in IPE groups in primary healthcare facilities in the Kopanong municipality of the Xariep district on a CBE-IPE platform in Trompsburg and Springfontein. IPE groups placed in the Southern Free State are accommodated in the Faculty’s residence in Trompsburg. The residence can accommodate 60 students housed in 10 units that each can accommodate six students per IPE group. Each apartment has two bathrooms, a fully equipped kitchen and a living area. The idea being that students from different disciplines are constantly engaged whether in the work environment at “home” and during play. To facilitate interaction amongst the students of the FoHS’ Schools and to assist in teaching, learning and assessment including student mentoring, a permanent academic facilitator was appointed while each School in the FoHS provide additional facilitators to assist with the IPE weeks
The first-year Bachelor of Nursing students, in collaboration with the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, are involved in a project at early childhood development Centers (ECDs) in the greater Mangaung and Trompsburg areas. The project assesses children's health, nutrition, and development at the selected ECDs. Nursing students can apply their knowledge and practice their psychomotor and communication skills while gathering specific data on the health of their parents/caregivers and children. Being involved in a research project at such an early career phase can create a deeper understanding of their discipline and improve problem-solving skills. The students are expected to develop a health promotion intervention based on the identified gaps and community needs. These interventions are presented in creative posters/radio talks/pamphlets.
In collaboration with the Free State Department of Health (FSDoH) and three regional Agricultural unions, the Faculty of Health Sciences (FoHS) University of the Free State (UFS) launched a mobile health service specifically for farming communities in the Kopanong Local Municipality, Xhariep District Municipality. The initiative forms part of the Faculty's teaching and learning platform in Kopanong, where students are placed on weekly rotation for at least 36 weeks of the year. It is also an extension of the Engaged Scholarship as proposed in the Integrated Transformation Plan and Town and Gown programme of the UFS.
| Community service-learning projects |
The SL module for third-year nursing students is about wound care. Students, in groups of 6-8, follow up on a patient with a chronic wound in the community for six weeks. Students assess the patient, treat the wound, and address factors influencing wound healing. Through SL and CE in this module, students are aware of real-life and community problems through teaching and research. Student learning and development are promoted through these activities whereby community needs are met.
In the Midwifery practical module, students do Community Service Learning through the provision of pre-recorded radio talks and broadcast the information at Motheo FM. The topics address maternal health and newborn care topics.
In the Psychiatric Nursing/Mental Health module, the students must make a low-cost toy for someone with an intellectual disability. The students must apply stimulation principles to develop a tailor-made toy for an individual. This project aims to empower parents/caregivers to make inexpensive toys (with recyclable material) to stimulate persons with Intellectual disabilities. Some examples of the toys: