MEDILL NEWS SERVICE SPECIAL REPORT
Innovative Approaches: Students Help Communities by Taking Photos or Showing A Doctor's Life
By BENJAMIN LANKA
MEDILL NEWS SERVICE

WASHINGTON - Community service often involves feeding the hungry or teaching children to read, but at some U.S. schools it involves something out of the ordinary.

George Kownig served his community by cutting open a pig.

Kownig, a 26-year-old medical student at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, performed heart surgery on a swine as part of a series of workshops for undergraduates who are interested in going to medical school. He said the workshops were meant to show students what medical school is really like.

"I think it's great," Kownig said. "I wish I had that experience (before coming to school.")

Kownig does this community service as part of his school's work-study program. He earns $8 an hour for teaching younger students about medicine and for his research.

Henry Tomkiewicz, director of student affairs at the college, said most of his school's work-study jobs relate to patient care. It gives students practical experience while benefiting the community. He said about 80 percent of the school's work-study money is used for community service. The national average was 11.8 percent in the 1999-2000 school year and the current federal minimum is 7 percent.

Kownig said the surgery he is currently working on involves putting a biological graft into a swine to alleviate a swollen aorta. He said the graft works as a cylinder to get blood from the heart to the rest of the body. Grafts currently used in surgeries are synthetic, which do not change with the body the way a biological graft would, Kownig said.

The school holds at least one public procedure for students per trimester, but Kownig said students are encouraged to attend some of their other surgeries. He said the medical students keep in contact with the undergraduates through e-mail and answer questions.

Kownig said his community service not only benefits the students who want to learn about medical school, but it would be a tremendous benefit for the community if the research was successful.

"It would revolutionize the care given to people, and impact thousands of peoples' lives," he said.

Gene Awot, director of financial aid at the Antonelli Institute of Art & Photography in Erdenheim, Pa., said students at his school use photography to help the community. Many of his students photograph events in the community, including charity golf tournaments. Awot said the service not only benefits his students by giving them practical experience, but it also helps the charity events.

"Most of these events like to have some photographic coverage," he said. "This gets coverage free of charge for them." The school pays the students $6.25 an hour for all work-study jobs.

Sandy Scott, a spokesman for the Corporation for National and Community Service, a pro-service lobbying group, said these examples show that people who participate in work-study community service benefit beyond their paychecks.

"Service is learning," he said. "It's not just that you're helping others, but you're helping yourself."

Graphics
Graphic of Best/Worst Schools

Graphic of Top 20 U.S. Schools and Their work-study percentage spent on community service

Graphic of Best States

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