A School of Nursing and a Community Service Agency Close the Gap for Rural Families with Health Disparities during COVID-19: A Novel Approach to Clinical Education and Service-Learning

This descriptive study involving over 50 students, both undergraduate and graduate nursing students. A modified Community Service Attitudes Scale was given pre and post service-learning activity to the students. Students overwhelmingly reported an increase in their cultural awareness, their ability to work effectively with others and their feeling of making a real difference for those they served in the activity. Utilization of a service-learning activity (SLA) via health fairs is an effective pedagogy to offer clinical hours and exposure to professional situations for nursing students. The impact of the SLA is multifactorial on the students and on the community served.