Student and supervisor experiences of health student service learning placements in rural communities

Rural health work-integrated learning exposes students to the unique features of rural professional practice and provides opportunities to improve students’ work-readiness. Service learning placements delivered in rural settings seek to address the dual goals of student learning and meeting community identified needs. This research aimed to evaluate the experiences of students and supervisors who were involved in service learning placements in various rural and regional communities across a range of educational and health settings. Thirty-eight participants completed an online survey, reporting high levels of satisfaction with this placement format. Students experienced a strong sense of belonging within the host organisation, felt welcomed, and engaged in organizational and community activities. Supervisors universally reported feeling well supported. Ongoing attention to supervisory confidence, particularly when supervisors are unfamiliar with the service learning placement format is indicated, along with the need to develop student awareness of and access to interprofessional learning opportunities.