Volunteering in medical school during the pandemic: a solution for teaching

Chiloff, Daniela Mendes; Freitas, Victor Muniz de; Cardin, Natália Borges; Matiuzzi, Camila Bianchi; Perfeito, João Aléssio Juliano; Sato, Emília Inoue; Luzo, Marcus Vinícius Malheiros; Girão, Manoel Joâo Batista Castello; Góis, Aécio Flávio Teixeira de

doi:10.15694/mep.2020.000114.1

Cited by 2 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…Its SVP, inspired by medical students, generated enthusiasm, a sense of purpose and gratitude from beneficiaries. As the authors put it, “the project's main outcome is the moment of solidarity it has started, involving more and more participants and impacting far beyond the hospital walls” ( 10 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Student Volunteering as a Solution for Undergraduate Health Professions Education: Lessons From the COVID-19 Pandemic

Chawłowska

Staszewski

Lipiak

et al. 2021

Front. Public Health

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In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many medical universities worldwide, including the Poznan University of Medical Sciences, launched student volunteering projects (SVPs). We examined our student volunteers' perceptions on the conditions, safety, costs and benefits of their participation in the SVP. Using this information, we attempted to assess the viability of SVPs as a solution for health professions education during and after the pandemic. The main research tool was a questionnaire on students' perceptions of their participation in the SVP. As a complementary qualitative method, we used semi-structured interviews with the volunteers. Our respondents (n = 158) perceived conditions and safety generally positively: most reported having personal protective equipment (89.24%), technical support (88.61%), and induction training (79.11%). Only 38.61% said they had access to psychological support. In our view, benefits (e.g., an opportunity to make new contacts or receiving positive reactions from patients and staff) seemed to outweigh costs. 65.82% of the respondents agreed that they learnt new interesting things. A majority noticed the development of their soft skills (social 86.08%; organisational 78.48%; stress management 68.99%), while 40.51% – the development of their medical skills. The interviews pointed to additional benefits for students such as gaining insight of the healthcare system, and costs such as distress caused by some patient interactions. We conclude that student volunteering could become a viable solution for health professions education. To maximise its educational potential, volunteers' needs must be explored, psychological support ensured, and opportunities for mentoring and reflection provided. The organisational framework of a SVP should be culturally sensitive.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One of them was using SV to support health systems overburdened by responding to COVID-19 (7,8). It turned out to be a good solution to staff shortages during the crisis (9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Student Volunteering as a Solution for Undergraduate Health Professions Education: Lessons From the COVID-19 Pandemic

Chawłowska

Staszewski

Lipiak

et al. 2021

Front. Public Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The outcome may be a delay in completion in several speciality programs. There was also a report of volunteering of undergraduate students (and faculty) to assist in managing the heavy workloads (Mendes et al, 2020), and one of early graduation of final year students to support the workforce (Alexander et al, 2020). The 'rite of passage' of graduation ceremonies was maintained through live streaming (Blyth et al, 2020).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%