Medical education through community experience: community projects at the University of South Dakota School of Medicine.

Community projects are a requirement of third-year medical students at three South Dakota clinical campuses. Students identify a community issue, design and implement either a service or research project, and present the project to faculty and peers. Topics include cardiovascular and other disease risk factors, nutrition education, firearm safety and many others. These projects answer a need to advance an understanding of population health, promote community involvement among student physicians, and improve the health of the community.