Since 2002, Learning Together has created community partnerships and offered training, mentoring, and outreach opportunities for Duke learners (students) interested in providing health-related service. To date, learners have taught health education at several schools and community sites throughout Durham, responded to health promotion and social service requests made by community partners, and assisted with data collection, surveying, and assessments within the Department of Family Medicine & Community Health's Division of Community Health.
Duke learners often serve community populations as an interdisciplinary team of medical residents and students, physician assistant and nursing students, and other graduate and undergraduate learners. Internship opportunities are also available through the Learning Together program. Also, learners may opt to provide health-related community service by developing individual or group projects. The latter option requires learners to obtain Community Health Activity Request Form approval, which reinforces Duke’s guidelines on how to launch health-related endeavors in the community.
Just as we change, so do the needs of the community. Accordingly, seeking opportunities to strengthen existing community partnerships and developing new ones is continual. We often look for learners to support Department of Family Medicine & Community Health projects to serve the local community. Projects may include:
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Assisting with projects centered on health benefits enrollment
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Helping clinic patients with paper and electronic processes (health and technology literacy)
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Participating in community initiatives
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Offering health education for school and community sites
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Assisting with community surveying, data collection, and statistical analyses
Before participating in health-related community projects, all Duke learners must complete a Community Health training module, and if planning to work with community youth, Duke Human Resources Minor Policy training and approval is required before working with minors 18 and younger. When teaching children in local school systems, a volunteer application and site-specific background check may also be needed.