EXCERPT
Learning about the responsibilities of citizenship and engaging in civic action is left to each individual in the United States. However, many Americans believe their participation in solving large and complex social problems is unlikely to make a difference, although they witness homelessness, poverty, lack of health care, and violence on a daily basis. Feeling that one person cannot make a difference has led to learned helplessness and a lack of social activism. However, public participation is the “very soul of democratic citizenship” (Loeb, 1999, p. 2).
The challenge for educators is to prepare future citizens who will value civic engagement and responsibility. This is equally true in health professions education where the need to prepare competent clinicians well versed in science competes with the demand to prepare professionals engaged in the type of reforms needed to solve problems of access and equity in the health care delivery system.
AUTHORS
Dr. Redman is Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor, School of Nursing, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; and Dr. Clark is Assistant Professor, School of Nursing, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, Colorado.
Community-Campus Partnerships for Health would like to acknowledge the generous support from the Helene Fuld Health Trust, HSBC, Trustee, which made possible the creation of the Partners in Caring and Community program and the projects described in this article.
Address correspondence to Richard W. Redman, PhD, RN, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor, School of Nursing, Carrington Hall, CB #7460, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7460; e-mail: rredman@email.unc.edu.
