First Year Service Requirement Rayne Loder AmeriCorps Scholar in Service, 2011 – 2012

The essentials Each student must participate in (at least!) 3 community service activities during the first year of PA school – Service is a big part of this PA program’s mission!

The essentials Of these 3, 2 must be medically related Examples include: – Blood pressure screenings – Health fairs – Volunteering as an EMT

The essentials The third service event can be medical or non- medical Examples of non-medical events – Stream clean-ups – Working at a soup kitchen – Organizing a food drive

How do I find opportunities to serve my community?

Finding opportunities to serve Each campus is unique and has its own opportunities – Coudersport is going to have some different types of events than Harrisburg! – Lock Haven students can take advantage of events planned for the entire campus community – Clearfield, well…you’ve got the YMCA! – You are all welcome to travel to different campuses and different communities to complete your service requirements

Finding opportunities to serve You can start by talking to your AmeriCorps Scholar – Your AmeriCorps Scholar in Service is Christy Lejkowski – Christy will be researching and informing you of service events which can count toward your requirement

Finding opportunities to serve Don’t forget about the faculty! – Faculty members are also excellent resources and will inform you of service opportunities throughout the year – They know the campus communities very well and can help connect you with an organization which could use a helping hand

Finding opportunities to serve Opportunities through the university – The MountainServe Center at the Lock Haven campus is a wonderful resource for community service activities (especially non-medical) in the Lock Haven area – You can explore their website at: (you can also “like” them on Facebook!)

Finding opportunities to serve Get in touch with your local hospital – Hospitals frequently organize community health screenings and charity events and can often use volunteers! – Contacting the volunteer coordinator at your local hospital can be a great start to finding a service event in your area

Finding opportunities to serve Final words on finding service opportunities: – Christy and the faculty will help keep you informed of local service events throughout the year. However… – Each of you are encouraged to find your own opportunities to serve your communities! – You can either volunteer in a pre-existing event or you can organize your own event! – I know you’re all expert internet surfers…sometimes a Google search can be the best way to start

How do I get credit for my community involvement? Who is keeping track of this?

Keeping track… As you participate in events, you will be reporting your involvement to Christy, your AmeriCorps Scholar – Be easy on her for now! She doesn’t technically begin her assignment until August. She will contact you all in the future and let you know how she will be informing you of service opportunities and how she will be collecting data from you.

Keeping track… It is also a good idea to check-in with your faculty advisor and let him/her know when you participate in a service event

How do I know which events will count toward this requirement?

Does this count?? “Well,” you may be thinking, “what about something like Relay for Life? Does that count?” – Great question! I’m glad you asked! Let’s look at this example.

Does this count?? “What if I raise money for my Relay for Life team?” – No, this doesn’t count. While this is definitely a way to support a good cause, we want you to actually participate in the planning/organization /implementation of an event.

Does this count?? “What if I help to plan the Relay for Life event or assist in the implementation of the event?” – Ding ding ding! Now you’ve got it! This is what we’re looking for.

Does this count?? Another popular type of service event is the blood drive – Helping to organize/set-up/tear-down/give out juice at blood drives would count – However, just giving blood would not count Pop quiz: How about a food drive? Would it count if you organize a food drive? How about if you bring in 5 cans of food?

How do I know whether something is medical or non-medical?

Medical or not? For most events, it will be fairly obvious whether or not it is medically-related. – Measuring blood pressures = medical – Cleaning up a stream = non-medical “But,” you are probably thinking, “what about something like Relay for Life?” – Boy, you guys are really stuck on Relay for Life! But again, I’m glad you asked.

Medical or not? Relay for Life, of course, raises money for cancer research. Cancer is a medical problem. So… Last year, we allowed medically-related events like this to count toward the medical requirement even though you won’t be directly providing medical services. It will ultimately be up to Christy, Craig, and the faculty to determine exactly what will count as medical. If you are uncertain, ask them for clarification.

Remember… If in doubt, ask Christy or a faculty member for clarification!

Final thoughts

Remember: You have to participate in THREE service activities between now and the end of your first year. – 2 MEDICAL – 1 NON-MEDICAL

Final thoughts This is YOUR service requirement! Christy and the faculty will help you find events and keep track of your progress YOU need to make sure that you actually get around to doing all 3 of them

Final thoughts Have FUN doing these! Think of this not as a chore, but as an opportunity to: – Make connections and network in your community – Spiff up your CV – Begin a lifelong commitment to service!

Any questions about the service requirement? Any questions about the first year in general?