Community engaged service in pathophysiology and pharmacology.

When community engaged service learning (CESL) is integrated as a component of nursing education, student learning outcomes are improved. Utilizing this pedagogical strategy in undergraduate pathophysiology and pharmacology courses comes with a unique set of challenges and barriers. However, integrating this high impact, evidence-informed approach offers an opportunity for students to advance knowledge of course concepts while meeting the needs of underserved community groups. Forty-two sophomore level nursing students enrolled in pathophysiology and pharmacology completed semester long projects in the community. Student reflective responses were collected, analyzed for content, and revealed themes of perceived community connection, empathy, and empowerment to become community engaged leaders. • CESL is one high impact approach that, when used intentionally, can serve as a mechanism to solidify patho/pharm content. • PP r Projects focused primarily on chronic disease, medications used to treat these conditions, and health promotion activities. • Students recognized the importance of connecting with community members which is foundational to empathy. • Engaging with the community to determine priorities is one way to ensure that the projects were valued by community members. • Students needed to be well-versed on the knowledge they were presenting/discussing with community members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]