Student Experiences and Perceptions of Participation in Student-Led Health Clinics: A Systematic Review

Abstract

ABSTRACTSupervised student-led health clinics provide students with opportunities to develop practice skills with “real” people by delivering clinical services to underserved communities. Clinics provide opportunities for interprofessional learning and the development of clinical, communication, leadership, and teamwork skills. A systematic review was reported in accordance with guidelines recommended in PRISMA to explore the perceptions and experiences of social work students within student-led health clinics. The review found very few studies either addressed the experiences of social work students specifically or reported them, and that social work students were not always included in student-led health clinics. Benefits of participation for students from a range of disciplines related to interprofessional experiences, work with marginalized communities/real world experiences, personal benefit and skill development. Of concern is the lack of research attention to the social work student experience which may point to a gap in social work education and social work’s apparent absence in some multidisciplinary student-led health clinics.