Underserved Pathway students must complete 24 hours total of community service or service learning activities related to health or health equity. Depending on the type of service activities, students may complete the bulk of their hours in the preclinical years, or they may spread out hours across all four years. Underserved Pathway students may participate in UW and non-UW based programs.
Service and service learning opportunities include clinical events that involve direct patient care, educational events to train students, outreach events that provide health education for patients or communities, and healthcare-related fundraising and advocacy events.
The service learning requirement is meant to get students into underserved communities, engage with them, see firsthand the health challenges faced by vulnerable populations, learn about partnership within these communities and the agencies that serve them, and provide needed service. It also includes the reflection about what you have learned.
The UW Medicine Service Learning Resource Center (SLRC) is an excellent resource to learn about service in your state. See WWAMI service learning opportunities from the SLRC here.
Get involved with the Community Health Advancement Program (CHAP) as a student leader or volunteer — help identify health service needs in the community, collaborate with community partners, and provide direct service.
Please contact upath@uw.edu if you have trouble finding qualifying activities at any point throughout medical school.
Be sure to track your service hours on your Underserved Pathway Tracker!