Service Award Seattle MS1 & MS2 Students 2024-25

Important Dates:

Selection for this award will be based on the following:

  1. Service hours/information entered in the Self-Nomination Survey. Links to an external site.  For a summary of your Activity Tracker account go to this link. Links to an external site.
  2. Nominations by Seattle Selection Committee members.

The Service Award will be awarded to the top 15% of medical students at each MS1 and MS2 site.

Criteria:

Volunteer hours within the following time frame will be considered:

  • MS1 - September 1, 2024 - March 31, 2025
  • MS2 - April 1, 2024 - March 31, 2025

Volunteer time includes direct service and leadership/administrative service.  Administrative service includes organizational activities (e.g. scheduling or attending meetings, coordinating service projects, etc.) 

Participation in UWSOM Service Learning and Advocacy projects tends to be weighted slightly higher than outside community engagement although both are considered for this award.

Activities that are lauded but do not count for the service award include:

  • Curricular service hours (RUOP, TRUST, GHIP etc)
  • Volunteering for SOM departments (Admissions)
  • Volunteering for communities that are not underserved (i.e. ski patrol)
  • Interest group lead/participation (unless those hours are spent planning for and/or doing direct service, advocacy, or diversity work)
  • Participation in professional groups that are not doing direct service / advocacy work
  • Participation in student councils / associations (e.g. MSA, Student Wellness Council unless hours are spent planning for and/or doing direct service, advocacy, or diversity work)
  • Voluntourism (e.g. building houses in Mexico)
  • Attending a conference

What is Service and Advocacy?

Service and advocacy are understood as un-compensated activities performed to benefit or strengthen communities, individuals or organizations.  Such activities should address the consequences or causes of systemic and structural health inequities.

In keeping with the UWSOM mission to meet the healthcare needs of the public by “providing service to under-resourced populations,” service and advocacy activities aimed at building power and health equity with under-resourced and disadvantaged individuals or communities will receive greater weight than other volunteer activities. In addition, given the educational mission of the UWSOM, activities that exhibit the following qualities will be weighted more heavily: involves a formal reflective component; attends to the quality of community partnerships and project sustainability; involves leadership roles.

The award program will be administered by the UWSOM Service Learning team.  If you have any questions, contact somserve@uw.edu.