When graduates are hired in that way, it gives the school a clinical site 2 or 3 years down the road, where we can place other students. Also, if the NP leaves the clinic for one reason or another, the clinic may pick up the phone and call us to arrange another preceptorship in the future. Some felt we did not have an obligation to the alumni, because the alumni don't seem to have an obligation to us. It was suggested that perhaps if we felt more of an obligation to the alumni, we might have more alumni participation. Community Service is important, but it should have limited recognition.
Teaching is more important.
Community Service is listed in the PPP and looked at by the APT Committee, but it is not emphasised. Community Service is seen as a means to the end here - it provides education, practice and clinical settings. After a discussion of differences placed on the importance of community service in different schools of nursing, there was a weak consensus that we had no compelling and passionate statement to make. As the meeting ended the group again wanted to be sure that the notes reflected that they did not feel the questions necessarily pertained to Community Service. The general consensus was the draft questions for Community Service Issues did not fit the subject as the panel saw it.