Willingness to volunteer and readiness to practice of undergraduate medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional survey in Indonesia

Prevalence and risk factors of primary dysmenorrhoea among medical students: a cross-sectional survey in Indonesia

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to assess the prevalence and associated risk factors of primary dysmenorrhoea among medical students in Indonesia.

DESIGN

A web-based survey was conducted among 630 medical students across Indonesia, selected based on specific inclusion criteria. Dysmenorrhoea prevalence, severity and associated risk factors were assessed using a self-reported questionnaire. To analyse the data, univariate and multiple binary logistic regression analyses were performed. A significance level of 5% (p<0.05) was used for both types of analyses to determine the statistical significance of the observed associations.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

Indonesia (2021: n=630 female medical students).

OUTCOMES

The primary outcome is primary dysmenorrhoea, defined as painful menses without previous diagnosis of pelvic pathology. The severity of dysmenorrhoea was measured using the Verbal Multidimensional Scoring System. Independent variables include socio-demographic characteristics, menstrual history and other identified associated risk factors.

RESULTS

Of the 630 Indonesian medical students surveyed, a large proportion (91.27%) reported experiencing dysmenorrhoea, with 52.35% experiencing moderate-to-severe pain. Family history of dysmenorrhoea emerged as a significant predictor for both occurrence (OR 3.76; 95% CI 1.89 to 7.45) and severity (OR 1.47; 95% CI 1.04 to 2.06). Dysmenorrhoea severity was positively associated with cycle length (OR 1.57; 95% CI 1.01 to 2.43), whereas higher body mass index (BMI) (OR 0.94; 95% CI 0.90 to 0.98) and being Indonesian of foreign descent (OR 0.46; 95% CI 0.27 to 0.84) were negatively associated with moderate-to-severe dysmenorrhoea.

CONCLUSIONS

Dysmenorrhoea is prevalent among Indonesian medical students, with family history, BMI, cycle length and race significantly associated with its occurrence or severity. These findings underscore the need for further research on more diverse populations to enhance awareness and address this prevalent gynaecological concern effectively.

Relationship between benefit finding and volunteer motivation among nursing students: The mediating role of perceived social support

BACKGROUND

Volunteer motivation is essential to advancing community service, education, and career development of nursing students. However, few studies have been conducted on nursing students' volunteer motivation.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the relationship between social support benefit finding and volunteer motivation among nursing students and the role of social support in these relationships.

METHOD

This study adopted a descriptive cross-sectional design. A total of 2166 nursing students were recruited from eighteen medical schools in Henan Province, China. Participants completed a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Social Support Scale, the Benefit Finding Scale, and the Volunteer Motivation Scale online between March and May 2022. Correlation and mediation analyses were used to explore the mediating role of social support in the relationships among social support, benefit finding, and volunteer motivation.

RESULTS

A total of 2166 valid questionnaires were collected in this study. Benefit finding positively affected volunteer motivation (β = 0.422, p < 0.01), and perceived social support positively affected volunteer motivation (β = 0.407, p < 0.01). Perceived social support played a mediating role between benefit finding and volunteer motivation (β = 0.112, 95 % confidence interval 0.076, 0.148).

CONCLUSIONS

The study provides evidence on the mechanisms of action between benefit finding and volunteer motivation among nursing students. Professionals in schools and voluntary organizations should prioritize guiding nursing students to explore the motivations behind volunteering while also fostering a supportive environment for student volunteers in nursing.

Epidemics and the healthcare professional's duty to care: Students' attitudes about work requirements before and during Covid-19 (2017-2021)

CONTEXT

The Covid-19 pandemic has added a new chapter to discussions about the professional duty to care. To understand how Covid-19 may have changed medical students' ethical attitudes towards this duty, we analysed policies written before and during the pandemic by first-year students completing a yearly educational exercise focused on work requirement expectations for healthcare professionals during a hypothetical epidemic.

METHODS

Within a repeated cross-sectional design, consensus coding was performed on policies written over 5 years (2017-2021) using a codebook based on eight questions from the educational exercise for summative content analysis. Frequencies provided summative results and comparisons across years used Fisher's exact test.

RESULTS

We analysed 142 written policies from 2017 to 2021 representing 884 first-year students working in small groups. Students' commitment to the duty to care remained stable during the Covid-19 pandemic, but during the pandemic, students were more likely to support exceptions to the duty to care (e.g. for healthcare professionals with medical conditions or concern for household members' health) and more likely to expect institutions to provide safe working conditions. Ethical values supporting students' policies were largely consistent before and during the pandemic, the most common being beneficence, justice, duty to care, non-maleficence and utility.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that students' support for the duty to care remained strong during the Covid-19 pandemic. We also found that students supported exceptions to this duty to reflect the needs of healthcare professionals and their families and that they expected institutions to provide safe working conditions. These findings can help inform ethics education and future pandemic preparedness.

The relationship between young college students' recognition of national COVID-19 crisis governance capabilities and the improvement of national identity: the mediating role of online participation in public health critical events

Background

Improving the young college students' national identity is crucial for ensuring social stability and fostering development during public health critical events such as COVID-19. Young college students' recognition of national COVID-19 crisis governance capabilities can influence their national identity, and online participation in public health criticalevents may serve as a crucial role in shaping this intricate relationship. To investigate this possibility, the present study established an intermediary model to examine the impact of online participation in public health critical events on young college students' recognition of national COVID-19 crisis governance capabilities and improvement of national identity.

Methods

This cross-sectional survey study employed a convenience sampling method to investigate a total of 3041 young college students in China. The correlations between study variables were analyzed using Spearman's rank correlation. The mediation model was established using PROCESS Model 4 with 5000 bootstrap samples in SPSS. The bias-corrected bootstrap method provided statistical efficacy and identification interval estimation.

Results

Young college students' recognition of national COVID-19 crisis governance capabilities (r=0.729, P<0.001) and online participation in public health critical events (r=0.609, P<0.001) were positively correlated with improvement of their national identity. The relationship between these two factors was partially mediated by online participation in public health critical events (Indirect effect estimate=0.196, P<0.001).

Conclusion

Online participation in public health critical events played a mediating role in the association between college students' recognition of national COVID-19 crisis governance capabilities and the improvement of national identity. Our findings provide a novel intervention strategy for improving college students' national identity, which is to encourage their online participation in public health critical events.

Identifying Physician Public Health Competencies to Address Healthcare Needs in Underserved, Border, and Outer Island Areas of Indonesia: A Rapid Assessment

Phenomenon: Most medical schools in Indonesia have developed innovations to integrate public health content into the curricula. However, ensuring that all schools meet appropriate standards regarding the quality of subjects, content relevancy, and course delivery takes time and effort. Approach: This study employed a rapid assessment procedure to identify the current knowledge and competencies required to practice medicine effectively in underserved, border, and outer island areas of Indonesia. Ninety-three participants from six remote districts were involved in 12 focus group discussions. Qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis using the social determinants of health as a guiding framework. Findings: Under decentralized health system governance, the local socio-geographical context is critical to understanding the current public health landscape. Medical education with respect to public health must emphasize physicians' ability to advocate and encourage the coordination of healthcare services in responding to disasters, as well as community-based surveillance and other relevant data for synergistic disease control. As part of a healthcare facility management team, prospective doctors should be able to apply systems thinking and provide critical input to improve service delivery at local health facilities. Also, recognizing underlying factors is essential to realizing effective interprofessional collaboration practices and aligning them with leadership skills. Insights: This study outlines recommendations for medical schools and relevant colleges in formulating compulsory block or integrated public health curricula. It also provides a public health learning topic that may aid medical schools in training their students to be competent for practice in underserved, border, and outer island areas. Medical schools should offer initiatives for students to acquire the necessary public health competencies merited by the population's health needs.

Global Rate of Willingness to Volunteer Among Medical and Health Students During Pandemic: Systemic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

During health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, shortages of health care workers often occur. Recruiting students as volunteers could be an option, but it is uncertain whether the idea is well-accepted.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to estimate the global rate of willingness to volunteer among medical and health students in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

A systematic search was conducted on PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Google Scholar for studies reporting the number of health students willing to volunteer during COVID-19 from 2019 to November 17, 2023. The meta-analysis was performed using a restricted maximum-likelihood model with logit transformation.

RESULTS

A total of 21 studies involving 26,056 health students were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled estimate of the willingness-to-volunteer rate among health students across multiple countries was 66.13%, with an I2 of 98.99% and P value of heterogeneity (P-Het)<.001. Removing a study with the highest influence led to the rate being 64.34%. Our stratified analyses indicated that those with older age, being first-year students, and being female were more willing to volunteer (P<.001). From highest to lowest, the rates were 77.38%, 77.03%, 65.48%, 64.11%, 62.71%, and 55.23% in Africa, Western Europe, East and Southeast Asia, Middle East, and Eastern Europe, respectively. Because of the high heterogeneity, the evidence from this study has moderate strength.

CONCLUSIONS

The majority of students are willing to volunteer during COVID-19, suggesting that volunteer recruitment is well-accepted.

The challenges of voluntary care provision for hospitalized patients with COVID-19: A qualitative study of the public volunteers' experiences

INTRODUCTION

During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a remarkable increase in public volunteering for the care of hospitalized patients. They faced challenges during their voluntary care provision. This study aimed at exploring public volunteers' experiences of the challenges of the voluntary care provision to hospitalized patients with COVID-19.

METHODS

A descriptive qualitative study with an inductive content analysis method was conducted, 2022-2023. Eighteen public volunteers providing care to hospitalized patients with COVID-19 were purposefully selected among 10 hospitals, specialized in COVID-19 care in Tehran and Shiraz, Iran. Data were collected over 7 months through in-depth semistructured interviews and concurrently analyzed using conventional content analysis methods.

FINDINGS

The challenges of voluntary care provision to hospitalized patients with COVID-19 were illustrated in five main categories, each with two subcategories. The categories included structural challenges, interpersonal conflicts, financial constraints, covert participation and the deteriorating condition of care provision. The subcategories comprised lack of volunteer recruitment bases, ineffective organization of voluntary activities, pervasive distrust, heightened risk of clinical errors, conflicts between volunteer commitments and primary occupation, lack of financial support, lack of family support, isolation by friends, mental trauma and physical exhaustion.

CONCLUSION

Public volunteers encounter diverse challenges while providing care to hospitalized patients with COVID-19, which negatively impacts their motivation to serve. By addressing these challenges, we can create a more supportive environment for volunteers and enhance the quality of care provided to patients during public health emergencies. Identifying such challenges can assist healthcare managers and policymakers develop effective strategies to mitigate mounting difficulties and enhance volunteer services, thereby improving the overall quality of care provided to patients during public health crises.

PATIENT CONTRIBUTIONS

Participants were identified and recruited after the study objectives were explained in person to the managers. The participants were approached and interviewed by one author. Participation was voluntary and the participants did not receive any financial compensation for their time.

The impact of health volunteering of radiology students on improving their self-skills and practical capabilities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Background

Volunteering is a beneficial activity with a wide range of positive outcomes, from the individual to the communal level. In many ways, volunteering has a positive impact on the development of a volunteer's personality and experience. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of health volunteering on improving the self-skills and practical capacities of students in the western region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Materials and methods

The study was a descriptive cross-sectional electronic web-based survey that was submitted on a web-based questionnaire; 183 students answered the survey, and then, the data were analyzed using SPSS.

Results

This study shows that 95.6% of participants agree and strongly agree that the health volunteering experience was useful, 2.7% of the participants neither agree nor disagree, and 1.6% disagree and strongly disagree. Regarding the distribution of the participants on skills learned from volunteering experience, the largest proportion of student (36.1%) volunteers in the health sector acquired communication skills and the smallest proportion of student (14.8%) volunteers in the acquired time management skills. Regarding the disadvantages, 81.4% of the participants do not think there were any disadvantages to their previous health volunteering experience, while only 18.6% of them think there were any disadvantages to their previous health volunteering experience. Additionally, the study found that the type of the sector affects the skills acquired from health volunteering.

Conclusion

Research revealed that the majority considered volunteering a great experience. Volunteering increased the self-skills and practical capacities of radiology students, which proved the hypothesis.

Assessment of Final Year Nursing Students' Willingness and Readiness to Work With Patients With COVID-19 During the Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Introduction

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Indonesia faced shortages of medical supplies and healthcare workers. With a limited supply of healthcare workers, we examined the possibility of bringing final-year nursing students into COVID-19 patient care.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional survey among final-year nursing students to assess their willingness and readiness to work with patients with COVID-19 in Indonesia. We recruited 1,028 final-year nursing students in East Java, Indonesia, during October 7-20, 2021. Data were collected using an online questionnaire designed for this study using Google Forms. Response data were extracted from Google Forms to MS Excel 2016 for analysis. We performed univariate analysis for descriptive statistics, followed by multivariate analysis using binary logistic regression to analyze the effect of independent variables on study outcomes.

Results

The characteristics of the study participants showed that most respondents were female (97.1%) and of Javanese ethnicity (75.3%). More than 90% of participants reported no chronic diseases (96.2%) and were vaccinated (81.4%). Most participants were willing to work (84.3%) and ready to work (94.4%) with patients with COVID-19. Adjusted analysis showed that sex, type of institution, ethnicity, household condition, and history of chronic diseases were independent determinants of willingness to work with patients with COVID-19. Male and private university students were significantly more willing to work with patients with COVID-19.

Conclusions

Nursing students were willing to work with patients with COVID-19 during the pandemic; however, a longitudinal study is recommended for trend analysis.

Subtypes of nursing students' volunteer motivation in COVID-19: a latent profile analysis

BACKGROUND

One factor that influences nursing students' decision to engage in volunteer activities is volunteer motivation. It is important to understand the motivations of nursing students to volunteer. However, the majority of current studies have concentrated on the present level of nursing students' motivation to volunteer.

OBJECTIVES

To identify subgroups of nursing students' volunteer motivation and its influential factors.

METHODS

From January to February 2022, a cross-sectional online study was conducted, and 2569 nursing students from 10 provinces in China were recruited. Participants completed the General Information Questionnaire, Volunteer Functional Inventory (VFI), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS). We explore the categories and characteristics of volunteer motivation using latent profile analysis. Then, we determined factors that affect undergraduate nursing students' volunteer motivation using multinomial logistic regression.

RESULTS

The volunteer motivation score of the nursing students was 77.65 (15.22). The study found that volunteer motivation could be divided into three categories: low-low protective volunteer motivation group (9.3%), general-high career values volunteer motivation group (37.5%), and high volunteer motivation group (53.2%). Perceived social support scale score, perceived stress scale score, gender, and grade significantly influenced the volunteer motivation of nursing students in different categories (both P < 0.05). Women were more likely to have higher motivation to volunteer than men, and fourth-year nursing students were more likely to be in general-high career values volunteer motivation group.

CONCLUSIONS

The study highlights the significant heterogeneity in volunteer motivation among nursing students. Higher volunteer motivation was associated with higher perceived social support and lower perceived stress. In addition, gender and academic year were significant influencing factors. Nursing educators should develop targeted volunteer management plans based on the typological characteristics of the population to motivate nursing students to volunteer and promote the development of individual physical and mental health and social well-being.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The survey was approved by the Biomedical Ethics Committee of the Department of Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University (No. 2022-0006).

Student engagement in voluntary service in response to COVID-19 in Guangzhou, China: Implications for disease control and public health education from a cross-sectional study

Public health students have been seen as a potential force to meet the demand for health workers during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. However, few studies have provided empirical data. This study was conducted to summarize the experiences of public health students who engaged in voluntary service in response to the COVID-19 outbreak in Guangzhou, China. A cross-sectional study was conducted among postgraduate and undergraduate students at the School of Public Health, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, in August 2021. A self-designed online questionnaire was used to collect data on the experience of voluntary service during the early stage of the outbreak (in February 2020) and during the normalization stage of the prevention and control of COVID-19 (in June 2021) in China. Among the 96 students, 40 (41.7%) participated in voluntary service in February 2020, and 56 (58.3%) participated in voluntary service in June 2021. Most of the students participated in the voluntary service due to the motivations to help others (55.2%), to apply theoretical knowledge to practice (74.0%), to improve their fieldwork skills (72.9%), and to gain the experience for future careers (80.2%). Most volunteers were driven by professional responsibility (81.3%). More than half (53.1%) of the students felt anxious during their voluntary service. A lower proportion of students felt anxious in June 2021 than in February 2020 (44.6% vs 65.0%, P = .049), while a higher proportion of students found voluntary service harder than expected in June 2021 than in February 2020 (33.9% vs 7.5%, P = .002). Most students improved their knowledge and skills about COVID-19 after the training, but some knowledge and skills still needed improvement after their voluntary service. Public health students could help support the health system during the COVID-19 pandemic by providing adequate training and protection. More efforts should be made to provide psychological support for student volunteers and to optimize the curriculum to bridge the gap in public health education between theoretical knowledge and practical skills in responding to public health emergencies.

Insights into medical students' perceptions of work culture during the COVID-19 pandemic: a mixed method study

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic brought about profound social changes that affected students worldwide. These changes had both psychological and economic consequences, and also led to the adoption of new teaching methods. It can also have an impact on work culture, which is the collective set of values, norms, and practices within a specific profession, shaping how individuals in that field behave, communicate, and identify with their work. The aim of the study was to examine medical students' perception of professional culture during the COVID-19 crisis when they voluntarily participated in the healthcare network established, outside of university placements, for the management of COVID patients.

METHODS

A questionnaire study based on the vignette methodology was conducted among third-year medical students. Drawing from three scenarios in which students were variably engaged in crisis management, it included questions about their perceptions of the medical profession, their motivation, and their sense of belonging to the profession.

RESULTS

352 students responded to the survey. The pandemic had both a positive and a negative impact on students' perceptions of the medical profession. Cluster analysis using a k-means algorithm and principal component analysis revealed three clusters of students with different perceptions of the medical profession. The first cluster, which represented the majority of students, corresponded to a relatively positive perception of the profession that was reinforced during the pandemic. In the second cluster, students' perceptions were reinforced still further, and particular importance was attached to field experience. Students in the third cluster had the most negative perceptions, having been shaken the most by the pandemic, and they attached little importance to field experience.

CONCLUSIONS

The analysis highlighted the importance of students being able to adapt and draw on a range of resources during the COVID-19 pandemic. This underscores the need for work cultures that support adaptability and coping. Further research is needed to understand its long-term effects on students' perceptions of the medical profession and to identify interventions that could support students in the aftermath of this difficult period.

Antecedents of physicians' intentions to engage in digital volunteering work: an extended technology acceptance model (TAM) approach

Purpose

The digitalization has changed the volunteer paradigm, making young volunteers use technology in their volunteering activities. The current study sets out to identify and model the antecedents that determine intention to engage in digital health volunteering among Algerian physicians to give insights promoting the development of digital volunteering in different countries of the world.

Design/methodology/approach

To this end, the authors used a survey design to extend the technology acceptance model (TAM) with two construct (self-efficacy and perceived risk of COVID-19 infection). A convenience sample of 163 physicians; working in the private and public sectors in six provinces of Algeria was selected. The data were analyzed through a multiple linear regression.

Findings

The findings show that the perceived usefulness, ease of use, attitudes toward digital volunteering, level of self-efficacy and perceived risk of COVID-19 infection have a significant positive effect on physicians' intentions to engage in digital volunteering work in the context of health crises.

Practical implications

This study reveals that engaging in digital volunteering can be promoted during health crises as an effective strategy to provide support and assist public health institutions and emergency management.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study from Africa that explores digital volunteer work, and the first study that extends the TAM to investigate digital volunteer intention among physicians.

Exploration and practice of humanistic education for medical students based on volunteerism

Humanistic education aims to promote educated people's practical and conscious activities to enhance their humanity, cultivate ideal personalities, and realize personal and social values, to develop a humanistic spirit. The advancement of higher education in China has led to the proposal to strengthen scientific and humanistic education integration. Medicine is between science and humanities, shouldering the important task of training senior medical personnel, the quality of medical students will affect the quality of future medical and health work; thus, medical students must explore and practice humanistic education. Promoting and practicing volunteerism is a specific act of constructing spiritual civilization in the whole society, and it is also considered beneficial for improving citizens' sense of responsibility and dedication. Medical students' practice of volunteerism and help in society is a precise manifestation of humanistic care. This review summarizes medical students' exploration and practice of humanistic education in volunteering.

Reduced burnout in medical and health science students during the pandemic COVID-19 - a follow-up study of a single institution in Hungary

BACKGROUND

The coronavirus pandemic has significantly impacted lives worldwide, especially of medical and health science students. In Hungary, education has been relegated to the online space, with a substantial proportion of students having to attend medical secondments. Increased stress, uncertainty, and the presence of medical secondments can have an impact on students' premature burnout.

METHODS

In 2021, we conducted a follow-up survey among students of the University of Pécs studying medicine and health sciences in two data collection periods (from March to May and September to November). Our online questionnaire consisted of the Maslach Burnout Inventory General Survey for Students and our self-designed questionnaire. We used descriptive and paired two-sample t-tests for data analysis at a 95% confidence interval (p ≤ 0.05).

RESULTS

We excluded from our survey respondents whose data we could not follow-up; finally, 183 students' responses were analyzed. The majority of students were female (n = 148; 80.9%). Overall, there was a significant decrease in both exhaustion (EX) and cynicism (CY) scores (p = 0.001; p = 0.004). Female respondents had higher EX scores, but a significant decrease was observed for both genders (p ≤ 0.05). Excluding paramedic students, a significant decrease in EX scores was observed for the specialties we studied (p ≤ 0.05). General medicine students' CY scores decreased; physiotherapy students' profesisonal efficacy (PE) scores increased significantly (p ≤ 0.05). Students who were on medical secondments (n = 127; 69. 4%) were found to be more affected by burnout, but in all cases, these scores significantly improved (p ≤ 0.05). Students serving in the National Ambulance Service (n = 76; 41.5%), Hospitals (n = 44; 24.0%), or both (n = 7; 3.8%) had a significant decrease in their burnout score (p ≤ 0.05). Students who served in either a hospital or a hospital and National Ambulance Service had significantly improved CY and PE scores (p ≤ 0.05). Students concerned about their health had elevated EX and CY scores, which also improved (p ≤ 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, medical secondments positively affected student burnout scores for medicine and health sciences students at our institution. This fact implies that it is necessary to have more internships in real-life settings during the training.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Our survey has been approved by the Medical Research Council (Case No IV/4573-1/2021/ECU).

A Systematic Scoping Review of Motivations and Barriers in COVID-19 Volunteering Among Health Students: The Potential for Future Pandemic Volunteers

Background

The high number of cases of COVID-19 has caused an increase in workload and a shortage of medical personnel in various countries, so volunteers are needed, such as health students. However, becoming a volunteer during a pandemic is influenced by motivational factors and barriers.

Purpose

This study aims to identify the motivations and barriers of health students as COVID-19 volunteers.

Methods

This study uses a systematic scoping review. A literature review was conducted using CINAHL, PubMed, and ScienceDirect databases. The study was eligible for inclusion if it included articles published from 2020 to 2022, full-text, and primary studies. Studies were excluded if they were not in English. The keywords used in English were "health students OR nursing students OR medical students" AND "motivation OR willingness" AND "Barriers" AND "volunteer OR volunteering OR volunteerism OR voluntary" AND "COVID-19 OR covid-19 OR SARS-CoV-2 OR COVID-19 pandemic". Study quality was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) appraisal tool.

Results

We found 12 articles showing motivational factors and barriers among health students volunteering to control COVID-19. Motivational factors include domain values, understanding, enhancement, career, incentive, government, social, and demographics. In contrast, barriers include fear, lack of training and knowledge, PPE shortage, unpreparedness and role uncertainty, and lack of interest, support, and protection.

Conclusion

Our findings highlight that eight motivational factors and seven barriers influence health students' involvement in COVID-19 volunteering. However, to optimize the potential of health students, further preparation is essential to ensure that students can volunteer effectively, such as integrating volunteer training programs into the curriculum in preparation for future pandemic mitigation.

Moral courage of master's students of nursing during COVID-19

BACKGROUND

Moral courage is a recognized virtue. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the master's students of nursing (MSNs) in China have shown tenacious moral courage.

OBJECTIVE

This study elaborates on the moral courage of Chinese MSNs through their experiences of volunteering during the pandemic.

RESEARCH DESIGN

Descriptive qualitative, interview-based.

PARTICIPANTS AND RESEARCH CONTEXT

Participants were nursing postgraduate students who participated in the prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic selected by purposeful sampling. The sample size was determined by data saturation, which was reached with 10 participants. Data were analyzed using a deductive method of content analysis. Because of the isolation policy, telephone interviews were adopted.

ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS

After obtaining the approval of the ethical institution of the author's school (No. 138, 30 August 2021), verbal consent was obtained before the interview with the participants. All data were processed anonymously and confidentially. In addition, we recruited participants through MSNs' counselors, and obtained their phone numbers with their permission.

RESULTS

Data analysis resulted in 15 subcategories that were subsequently grouped into 3 major categories including proceed without hesitation, the outcome of practicing moral courage, and develop and maintain moral courage.

CONCLUSION

This qualitative study is based on the special background of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the MSNs in China have shown tenacious moral courage in the work of epidemic prevention and control. Five factors led them to take action without hesitation, and six possible outcomes followed. Lastly, this study provides some suggestions for nurses and nursing students to enhance their moral courage. To better develop and support moral courage in the future, it is necessary to use different methods and multidisciplinary approaches to study moral courage.

From disobedience to struggle for adaptation: ​​nursing students' experiences of attending the clinical learning environment during Covid-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected the clinical education of nursing students all over the world. Considering the importance of clinical education and clinical learning environment (CLE) in the education of nursing students, identifying the challenges and problems faced by these students during the covid-19 pandemic helps to plan more effectively in this regard. The aim of this study was to investigate the experiences of nursing students in CLEs during the Covid-19 pandemic.

METHODS

A descriptive qualitative research was conducted, which used a purposive sampling technique to recruit 15 undergraduate nursing students from Shiraz University of Medical Sciences between July 2021 and September 2022. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews. For data analysis, conventional qualitative content analysis based on Graneheim and Lundman approach was used.

RESULTS

The data analysis led to emergence of two themes of "disobedience " and "struggle for adaptation". The disobedience theme consists of two categories: "objection to attend CLE" and "patient marginalization". The theme of struggle for adaptation includes two categories: "using support sources" and "applying problem-oriented strategies".

CONCLUSION

At the beginning of the pandemic, the students were unfamiliar due to the disease, as well as fear of contracting themselves and infecting others, so they tried not to be in the clinical environment. However, they gradually tried to adapt to the existing conditions by applying support resources and using problem-oriented strategies. Policymakers and educational planners can use the results of this study to plan for solving the challenges of students during future pandemics and improve the condition of CLE.

Knowledge and practice of facemask disposal among university students in Thailand: A new normal post the COVID-19 pandemic

The use of facemasks is essential to prevent the transmission of COVID-19. University students are a significant demographic that generates substantial infectious waste due to the new normal practice of using disposable facemasks. In this cross-sectional study, we investigated the facemask disposal knowledge and practices among university students in Thailand between September and October 2022. We used a self-report questionnaire comprising 29 questions to determine the students' demographic characteristics and facemask disposal knowledge and practices. We then applied a logistic regression model to estimate the association between the students' facemask disposal knowledge and practices and their demographic characteristics. A total of 433 participants completed the questionnaire comprising health science (45.27%) and non-health science (54.73%) students. Surgical masks were the most popular masks (89.84%), followed by N95 (26.33%) and cloth masks (9.94%). While their levels of knowledge regarding facemask disposal were poor, the students' practices were good. The factors associated with proper facemask disposal were sex (AOR = 0.469, 95% CI: 0.267, 0.825), academic grade (AOR = 0.427, 95% CI: 0.193, 0.948), and knowledge level (AOR = 0.594, 95% CI: 0.399, 0.886). No demographic factors influenced knowledge. Our findings highlight the influence of facemask disposal knowledge on students' disposal practices. Information promoting the appropriate disposal practices should therefore be promoted extensively. Furthermore, continuous reinforcement by raising awareness and educating students on proper facemask disposal combined with the provision of adequate infectious waste disposal facilities could help reduce the environmental contamination of infectious waste and thus improve general waste management.

Health Sciences students' experience of COVID-19 case management and contact tracing in Cape Town, South Africa

BACKGROUND

COVID-19 has challenged health and higher education systems globally. Managing the epidemic in Cape Town, South Africa (SA), required partnerships with universities and setting up of de novo systems for mass case and contact tracing (C&CT). Health sciences, predominantly medical students, as well as social work and psychology students formed the core of this telephone-based work over the 18 months when SARS-CoV-2 caused severe disease.

METHODS

This qualitative study aimed to elicit students' motivations for becoming involved in C&CT, their experiences, and recommendations for C&CT and curricula. After Cape Town's first COVID-19 wave, six on-line focus groups comprising 23 students were conducted, and a further four were conducted with 13 students after the second wave. As the researchers were predominantly educators previously involved in undergraduate health sciences education, the study's purpose was to reflect on students' experiences to make educational and health system recommendations.

RESULTS

Students were largely motivated to mitigate the impact of the epidemic on society and support people affected by COVID-19, as well as hone their professional skills. While these motivations were realised, students also needed to learn new skills - to autonomously work remotely, using novel communication strategies to engage those affected and use virtual groups to connect with colleagues. They managed responsibilities within the healthcare systems that did not always work smoothly, distressed cases who were financially insecure, difficult employers, and language barriers. They were prepared through training, and supported by virtual, yet effective teamwork and debriefing opportunities. Although the work was sometimes physically and emotionally exhausting, students found the work personally meaningful. They embraced public health's role to protect population and individuals' health.

CONCLUSION

New teaching and learning practices adopted due to Covid-19 lockdowns enabled this digital C&CT project. It facilitated students to become confident, work autonomously and navigate challenges they will encounter as young professionals. The programme demonstrated that novel opportunities for rich student learning, such as in telehealth, can be embedded into public health and clinical functions of health services in contexts such as in SA, deepening partnerships between the health services and universities, to mutual benefit.

Evaluation of Health-Related Quality of Life and Mental Health in 729 Medical Students in Indonesia During the COVID-19 Pandemic

BACKGROUND The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and mental health worldwide. However, its impact on medical students in Indonesia has not been well documented. This study aimed to evaluate HRQoL and mental health in 729 Indonesian medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic. MATERIAL AND METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional study from 31 August to 30 September 2021. The study instrument was an online questionnaire that was distributed via social media platforms. The 12-item short form version 2 (SF12v2) was used to measure HRQoL, and the 21-item Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) was used to measure mental health. RESULTS From 729 Indonesian medical students included in the analyses, 37.3% had impaired physical component and 66.9% had impaired mental component of HRQoL. The determinants were medical students' island of residence, history of hospitalization, and family member's hospitalization and death due to COVID-19. Concerning mental health, the prevalence of reported symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress were 45.4%, 65.2%, and 60.9%, respectively. Sex, study method, grade, previous COVID-19 disease severity, comorbidities, previous learning experience, and history of family isolation were identified as the determinants of mental health. CONCLUSIONS This study highlights the adverse effects of COVID-19 on HRQoL and mental health in Indonesian medical students. The results identified key associations, including SARS-CoV-2 infection and comorbidities experienced by the students, the health of their families, including grief following bereavement, and the effects of social isolation during the pandemic.

Development of an Online SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 Elective Course for Fourth-Year Medical Students

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine incorporated supplementary online learning for 4th year medical students who were unable to participate in clinical activities due to clinical site restrictions to reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission. An online elective was developed aimed to increase student knowledge of COVID-19: "COVID-19: Utilizing basic sciences to implement what you need to know as a physician." This course required students to further their understanding of SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 through directed self-study to identify and summarize the latest scientific literature followed by presenting an online seminar to peers and faculty.

Cultivating patient-centered care competence through a telemedicine-based course: An explorative study of undergraduate medical students' self-reflective writing

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has encouraged adaptations of learning methods in clinical clerkship. There have been limited reports on the merits of involving medical students in telemedicine. This study, therefore, aims to investigate students' reflection on what they learned and identify the challenges and benefits of doctor-patient interaction through their experience in a telemedicine-based course.

Methods

A 4 week telemedicine-based course for medical students to participate in telemonitoring of COVID-19 patients undergoing self-isolation was conducted. This is a qualitative study using an interpretive phenomenology design to investigate students' self-reflection on their experiences in monitoring COVID-19 patients. Students were asked to reflect on their experience upon completion of the course through 750-1,000 words essays. A thematic analysis which considers units of meaning based on students' experiences was completed.

Results

Our study identified four main themes gathered from students' experiences related to the telemedicine-based course: communication and education, professionalism and professional identity formation, system-based practice, and patient-centered care.

Conclusion

The course was part of an integrative effort involving multiple parties to tackle the burden on the nation's healthcare system during the pandemic. Telemedicine is part of future medical practice which supports the medical curriculum adaptability along with attempts to develop future-proof medical doctors through various clinical learning experiences.

Activities and challenges of volunteers in confrontation with COVID-19: A qualitative study in Iran

The control and prevention of COVID-19 requires the active and voluntary participation of the people. Because volunteers experience different activities and challenges, the present study aimed to identify the activities and challenges of volunteers in the face of COVID-19. The present study was conducted with a qualitative approach and conventional content analysis method among 35 volunteers in the field of COVID-19 using snowball sampling and semi-structured interviews. Data management was performed using MAXQDA-2018 software and its scrutiny was done by the Graneheim and Lundman analysis method. After analyzing the data, 2 main categories and 15 subcategories were obtained, including 1- Activities (instruction and training; production and distribution of hygiene items; economic aid; psychological and social support for COVID-19 affected people; cooperation with government organizations to implement quarantine; environmental disinfection; cooperation with and support of the medical staff; encouraging and persuading people to participate in voluntary work; attending and cooperating in high-risk centers) and 2- Challenges (fear and worry of getting infected; rejection; being different from other voluntary activities; experience of failure and helplessness; the difficulty of the recruitment and cooperation process; lack of adequate instruction on how to help). Volunteers have played wide and diverse roles in confrontation with COVID-19 and have been able to provide various types of support to government, health and social organizations and the general public in various ways, but due to the special circumstances of the COVID-19 epidemic, they have experienced many challenges at the same time.

Responsibility driven learning in primary care: a qualitative evaluation of a medical student COVID-19 volunteering programme

BACKGROUND

During the first wave of the pandemic when clinical placements were suspended, a UK medical student volunteering programme was developed to support local GP practices. This study aimed to explore the impact that volunteering in primary care had on students' learning and professional development to inform the design of future service-learning curricula innovations.

METHODS

Seventy medical students across all years volunteered across forty-five GP practices in north-west London. Ten volunteer students and six GPs who had hosted students volunteered to participate in remotely conducted, semi-structured interviews with a researcher. Transcriptions were independently coded by two researchers and analysed by thematic analysis using service learning and communities of practice as sensitising concepts.

RESULTS

Analysis showed a strong alignment between the views of students and GPs in terms of perceived learning. Our analysis of both sets of interviews resulted in five themes describing student outcomes from the volunteering scheme: developing as a doctor, understanding the complexity of medicine, responsibility driven learning, a meaningful role in a community of practice, and seeing behind the scenes in primary care.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

Results from this study highlighted how a meaningful service-led role and responsibility in primary care can empower and motivate students to learn beyond the traditional medical curriculum and assessments. Adopting these new 'pro-active' roles within general practices led volunteers, particularly those in the early years of study, to develop a better understanding of primary care and medical complexity. It also enhanced their professional skills, attitudes and behaviours, while having a beneficial impact on patient care during the pandemic.

Evaluating and volunteering for crowdsourced interventions: Cross-sectional data on COVID-19 safety from a University Survey

Despite many innovative ideas generated in response to COVID-19, few studies have examined community preferences for these ideas. Our study aimed to determine university community members’ preferences for three novel ideas identified through a crowdsourcing open call at the University of North Carolina (UNC) for making campus safer in the pandemic, as compared to existing (i.e. pre-COVID-19) resources. An online survey was conducted from March 30, 2021 –May 6, 2021. Survey participants included UNC students, staff, faculty, and others. The online survey was distributed using UNC’s mass email listserv and research directory, departmental listservs, and student text groups. Collected data included participant demographics, COVID-19 prevention behaviors, preferences for finalist ideas vs. existing resources in three domains (graduate student supports, campus tours, and online learning), and interest in volunteering with finalist teams. In total 437 survey responses were received from 228 (52%) staff, 119 (27%) students, 78 (18%) faculty, and 12 (3%) others. Most participants were older than age 30 years (309; 71%), women (332, 78%), and white (363, 83.1%). Five participants (1%) were gender minorities, 66 (15%) identified as racial/ethnic minorities, and 46 (10%) had a disability. Most participants preferred the finalist idea for a virtual campus tour of UNC’s lesser-known history compared to the existing campus tour (52.2% vs. 16.0%). For graduate student supports, 41.4% of participants indicated no preference between the finalist idea and existing supports; for online learning resources, the existing resource was preferred compared to the finalist idea (41.6% vs. 30.4%). Most participants agreed that finalists’ ideas would have a positive impact on campus safety during COVID-19 (81.2%, 79.6%, and 79.2% for finalist ideas 1, 2 and 3 respectively). 61 (14.1%) participants indicated interest in volunteering with finalist teams. Together these findings contribute to the development and implementation of community-engaged crowdsourced campus safety interventions during COVID-19.

Volunteer Working during COVID-19 in Jordanian Community: Advantages and Challenges

This study deals with the crisis volunteering during the lockdown period of the COVID-19 pandemic in Jordan. This study aims to identify the skills that volunteers acquire during voluntary work. Moreover, it aims to identify whether there are significant differences for volunteer difficulties and advantages regarding gender, age, and education level. Researchers employed a quantitative method, using a questionnaire to achieve the goals of this study. The sample was 121 voluntary people (females and males) during the pandemic in a Jordanian community. The results of this study have shown that volunteering during the COVID-19 pandemic has had a positive impact on volunteers during this period in terms of acquiring a variety of skills. Furthermore, there were numerous difficulties faced by volunteers, and there were no statistically significant differences in the level of skills acquired by volunteers as a result of their participation in volunteering.

Health professional student's volunteering activities during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic literature review

Background

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis has forced health and education services to use additional human resources, such as health professional students. Students in the health professions, particularly those in the medical field, can participate in a variety of voluntary activities, both directly and indirectly in health services. The aim of this review was to determine the affecting factors, types of activity, and benefits of undertaking a volunteering role by the health professional student.

Methods

A systematic review of health professional student volunteering during the COVID-19 pandemic was conducted using seven databases: Epistemonikos, ProQuest, Scopus, EBSCOhost, JSTOR, Cochrane Library, and PubMed. This literature search included published articles from March 2020 through to December 2021 using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines.

Result

We included 41 studies that met the selection criteria that assessed the factors and specific programs related to health profession students' volunteering involvement during the COVID-19 pandemic era. The most frequently observed supporting factor of the eagerness to be a volunteer was the feeling of moral responsibility (such as social dedication, sense of duty, and care), potential learning opportunities, personal interest, and financial compensation. Factors that contributed to a person's refusal to participate in a volunteer position were the fear of COVID-19 itself (such as transmission, risk of being infected, and personal identification as a risk group).

Conclusion

The review of available literature has shown that understanding the motivation and barriers to the willingness of health professional students to volunteer and the impact of volunteering activities on their future lives is a key for supporting them.

Which Volunteering Settings Do Medical Students Prefer During a Novel Respiratory Virus Pandemic? A Cross-Sectional Study of Multiple Colleges in Central Saudi Arabia During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Purpose

Novel respiratory virus outbreaks are a recurring public health concern. Volunteering medical students can be a valuable asset during such times. This study investigated the willingness of medical students to volunteer during the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the barriers to doing so, considering the possibility of exposure to COVID-19 and mode of contact.

Patients and methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted using a self-administered online questionnaire adapted from the literature. The questionnaire comprised four parts: demographic variables, COVID-19-related variables, willingness scale, and barrier scale. The target population was medical students at four different colleges in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Results

A total of 802 students participated in the study. A small proportion of students (10.6%) were willing to participate in volunteering activities that could involve contact with patients with COVID-19 as compared to other settings (39.4-43.4%). More than one-quarter of students (26.8%) had risk factors for severe COVID-19. The main barrier to volunteering was the concern of transmitting the infection to family members (76.8%). Registration to receive the COVID-19 vaccine was positively associated with more willingness to volunteer (β=0.17, p <0.001), whereas residing in a household with an elderly person was negatively associated (β=-0.13, p <0.001). Female sex was positively associated with higher barrier score (β=0.12, p <0.001).

Conclusion

Medical students were more willing to volunteer in activities that did not involve direct contact with patients with COVID-19. A considerable proportion of participants had risk factors for severe illness. Sharing a household with an elderly person or child was associated with lower willingness to volunteer. Organizers of volunteering activities should offer various volunteering options considering the risk of infection; and be mindful of barriers to volunteering, especially risk factors for severe illness and eldercare and childcare responsibilities.

Preparedness of Undergraduate Medical Students to Combat COVID-19: A Tertiary Care Experience on the Effectiveness and Efficiency of a Training Program and Future Prospects

Introduction Due to the nature of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, final year medical undergraduate students have had to be involved in patient management in different countries. The same was the case with India. This study was conducted with the objective to analyze the effectiveness and efficiency of preparedness training to combat COVID-19 in pre-final and final-year medical students at a tertiary care institute in North India. Methods A pre-post study was conducted among final and pre-final year medical undergraduate students. Data was collected as pre-test and post-test multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and clinical vignettes. Results A total of 179 medical undergraduate students attended the training. Scores on general instructions, personal protective equipment (PPE) donning and doffing, hand hygiene, biomedical waste management, contact tracing, cleaning and disinfection, ECG, and COVID-19 management improved significantly after the training. Pre-test scores on ECG, simulation, COVID-19 management were 21.58±5.311, 17.05±4.501, and 23.84±4.067, respectively. Post-test scores on ECG, simulation, COVID-19 management were 28.01±6.826, 23.84±4.067, and 6.93±1.726, respectively. Pre-test and post-test scores were statistically significant (p=0.0001).  Discussion Our preparedness training program was effective in delivering the intended skills. The efficiency of the training program was demonstrated through simulation. We created a trained pool of medical undergraduate students to assist clinicians in COVID-19-related supportive care.

‘Who Else If Not We’. Medical Students’ Perception and Experiences with Volunteering during the COVID-19 Crisis in Poznan, Poland

Introduction: The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the closure of all Polish medical universities. Simultaneously, due to staff shortages and the Polish health-care system being seriously challenged, many students were eager to contribute to the fight against the outbreak. This study explores medial student volunteers’ (MSV) perspectives and their lived experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland. Material and Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty-one students. Results: A total of seven major themes emerged from the interviews: 1. students’ reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2. students’ experiences of the outbreak, 3. motivations for volunteering, 4. students’ perceptions of the COVID-19 volunteering, 5. organization of students’ volunteering, 6. benefits and costs of volunteering during COVID-19, and 7. social perception of MSVs. Although students volunteering was an example of civic responsibility and created new learning opportunities, many students felt unprepared for the pandemic, lacked social skills and access to psychological support, and were the target of stigmatization and discrimination. Discussion: Because during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic medical universities were closed and classes were held online, students’ volunteering became an important part of service learning and created an opportunity for education. Consequently, while it benefited students, patients and the healthcare system, students’ involvement reinforced such important values of medical ethos as: altruism, public service, and (professional) solidarity. However, some systemic approach should be undertaken that would prepare students better for future crises.

‘Who Else If Not We’. Medical Students’ Perception and Experiences with Volunteering during the COVID-19 Crisis in Poznan, Poland

Introduction: The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the closure of all Polish medical universities. Simultaneously, due to staff shortages and the Polish health-care system being seriously challenged, many students were eager to contribute to the fight against the outbreak. This study explores medial student volunteers’ (MSV) perspectives and their lived experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland. Material and Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty-one students. Results: A total of seven major themes emerged from the interviews: 1. students’ reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2. students’ experiences of the outbreak, 3. motivations for volunteering, 4. students’ perceptions of the COVID-19 volunteering, 5. organization of students’ volunteering, 6. benefits and costs of volunteering during COVID-19, and 7. social perception of MSVs. Although students volunteering was an example of civic responsibility and created new learning opportunities, many students felt unprepared for the pandemic, lacked social skills and access to psychological support, and were the target of stigmatization and discrimination. Discussion: Because during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic medical universities were closed and classes were held online, students’ volunteering became an important part of service learning and created an opportunity for education. Consequently, while it benefited students, patients and the healthcare system, students’ involvement reinforced such important values of medical ethos as: altruism, public service, and (professional) solidarity. However, some systemic approach should be undertaken that would prepare students better for future crises.

Willingness of Healthcare Students in Vietnam to Volunteer During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Healthcare students play an important role in volunteering activity, often addressing staff shortages. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the willingness of students to volunteer in contribution to the pandemic response, especially in Vietnam, has not been thoroughly investigated. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of and factors associated with the willingness of healthcare students to volunteer during the COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam. For this, an online cross-sectional survey was conducted, between June 7th and July 6th, 2021, among healthcare students from 10 fields of study at the largest public university of medicine and pharmacy in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Of 2032 respondents, 1473 (72.5%) reported that they would be willing to volunteer during the COVID-19 pandemic. More than half of the students reported having a desire to volunteer in non-patient contact activities such as data entry (65.9%) and logistics (57.7%). Whereas less than 50% of the participants were willing to volunteer with activities involving patients. Year of education, study field, educational format, living arrangements, health status self-perception, chronic illness possession, COVID-19 fear level, past volunteering experience in non-healthcare sectors, and COVID-19 prevention and control training course attendance were all associated with a willingness to volunteer. The strongest barriers preventing volunteering included fear for the health of their family and lack of training/knowledge. Conclusively, healthcare students reported a high level of willingness, indicating a positive attitude toward responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Adequate training should be employed to increase the willingness among healthcare students in Vietnam.

Knowledge, attitude, and practice related to the COVID-19 pandemic among undergraduate medical students in Indonesia: A nationwide cross-sectional study

INTRODUCTION

The potential role of medical students in raising awareness during public health emergencies has been acknowledged. To further explore their potentials as public educators and role models for the communities during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, this study aims to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of these students toward COVID-19.

METHODS

An online cross-sectional survey was conducted among undergraduate medical students in Indonesia. Socio-demographics characteristics, social interaction history, information-seeking behavior, as well as knowledge, attitude, and practice toward COVID-19 were collected through a self-reported questionnaire. A p-value of <0.05 indicated statistical significance.

RESULTS

Out of 4870 respondents, 64.9% had positive attitude and 51.5% had positive practice toward COVID-19, while only 29.8% had adequate knowledge. Knowledge was slightly positively correlated with attitude and practice (ρ = 0.074 and ρ = 0.054, respectively; both p<0.001), while attitude was weakly correlated with practice (ρ = 0.234, p<0.001). Several factors including age, sex, place of residence, institution type, academic level, family income, history of chronic illness, prior volunteering experience, and perceptual awareness on COVID-19 were significantly associated with either knowledge, attitude, and/or practice toward COVID-19. Furthermore, health institution's and the government's press releases, as well as health expert opinions were deemed as the most reliable sources of COVID-19-related information-yet trivially none of these sources were associated with knowledge, attitude, and practice in the study population.

CONCLUSION

Many undergraduate medical students in Indonesia had positive attitude and practice against COVID-19, yet only a few had adequate knowledge. This warrants further interventions to keep them updated with COVID-19 evidence to maximize their potentials in raising public awareness on COVID-19.

The Professional Identity and Career Attitude of Chinese Medical Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Survey in China

BACKGROUND

Although professional identity is a strong predictor of career choice, only a few studies have reported on medical students' career attitude during a public health emergency. This study investigates the changes in medical students' professional identity and career attitude during the COVID-19 pandemic, evaluates their mental health and social support system under stress, and explores the relationship between their career attitude and other factors.

METHODS

An online survey of 6,226 Chinese medical students was conducted to collect information on demographics, professional identity, and career attitude. The collected data were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale, and the Social Support Rating Scale.

RESULTS

The results revealed that most (80.8%) of the participants did not change their career attitude and the professional identity of most participants strengthened, and they preferred to participate on the frontline during the COVID-19 pandemic. The prevalence of depression and anxiety among medical students was 22.86% and 35.43%. Low social support, depressive symptoms, male gender, and higher grades were factors that negatively affected career attitude.

CONCLUSIONS

After the outbreak of the pandemic, it was necessary to conduct diversified professional identity research to support medical students, especially those with low social support and depressive symptoms.

Exploring medical students' perceptions of the challenges and benefits of volunteering in the intensive care unit during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study

OBJECTIVES

In March 2020, the WHO declared SARS-CoV-2 a pandemic. Hospitals across the world faced staff, bed and supply shortages, with some European hospitals calling on medical students to fill the staffing gaps. This study aimed to document the impact of volunteering during the COVID-19 pandemic on students' professional development, resilience and future perceived career choices.

DESIGN

This is a retrospective, qualitative study of student reflections, using purposive sampling.The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) University of Medicine and Health Sciences recruited 26 medical student volunteers to assist in pronation and supination of ventilated patients affected by SARS-CoV-2. These students were invited to complete an anonymous survey based on their experiences as volunteers. Thematic analysis was performed on these written reflections.

RESULTS

The results showed that volunteering during the COVID-19 pandemic developed key skills from RCSI's medical curriculum, significantly fostered medical students' resilience and guided their career choices. Major areas of development included communication, teamwork, compassion and altruism, which are not easily developed through the formal curriculum. A further area that was highlighted was the importance of evidence-based health in a pandemic. Finally, our respondents were early stage medical students with limited clinical exposure. Some found the experience difficult to cope with and therefore supports should be established for students volunteering in such a crisis.

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that clinical exposure is an important driver in developing students' resilience and that volunteering during a pandemic has multiple benefits to students' professional development and professional identity formation.

Assessment of medical students' preparedness and willingness for integration into a war-torn healthcare system: the example of COVID-19 pandemic scenario

In Syria, medical students were placed on call to provide sufficient human resources during COVID-19 pandemic. This research aimed to explore the ability and willingness of the final-year medical students to assist during COVID-19 in the Syrian war-torn and fragile health-system. Final-year Syrian medical students were approached between 9th-17th April 2020 through an online questionnaire. Students' COVID-19-related medical knowledge (5-point score), clinical judgement (5-point score), and preparedness and willingness to integrate in healthcare facilities were assessed. A 10-point score was created, and linear regression and Tukey's HSD test were conducted. 1673 valid responses were received, of which 1199 (71.66%) responses were from the final-year students. Of the latter, 728 (60.71%) scored 4 points or higher in the medical knowledge score (mean 3.69 points), while 298 (24.85%) scored 4 or higher in the clinical judgement score. Final-year students scored significantly higher than the fourth-year students in the clinical judgement score. Finally, 682 (56.88%) of the final-year students expressed willingness to volunteer with healthcare teams. Final-year medical students may provide medical aid, on voluntary basis, by working in fragile health systems during pandemics. However, this should be undertaken in cases of extreme need. Sufficient personal protective measures, intensive training, and adequate supervision should be guaranteed.

Willingness of Nepalese medical and nursing students to volunteer during COVID-19 pandemic: A single-centered cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Medical students, being more familiar with medical situations, can play a vital role as volunteers during medical crises like mass casualty emergencies and epidemics. This study was conducted to know the willingness of medical and nursing students to volunteer during the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted among undergraduate medical and nursing students of a medical college in Kathmandu. A proportionate stratified random sampling technique was used. A pretested, self-administered questionnaire was emailed to participants and the data were collected from 8th July to July 29, 2021 via the Google forms, extracted to the Google sheets, and then analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16.

RESULTS

Out of 288 randomly selected participants, a total of 261 valid responses were obtained, giving a response rate of 90.6%. The majority (n = 203, 77.8%) of the participants were willing to volunteer. The most preferred area of work during volunteering was clinical care of the COVID-19 patients (n = 74, 36.5%), followed by involvement in health education and awareness-raising activities (n = 63, 31%). Among those not willing to volunteer (n = 58, 22.2%), the most commonly reported reason was the lack of adequate training and skills (n = 23, 40%).

CONCLUSION

Since the majority of medical and nursing students were willing to volunteer during the times of COVID-19, they can be of great help as a human resource in case of shortage of healthcare professionals. As lack of training and adequate skills was the main reason for those not willing to volunteer, we recommend the provision of adequate training and skills before deploying students as volunteers during health crises like COVID-19.

Enhancing frontline workforce volunteerism through exploration of motivations and impact during the COVID-19 pandemic

OBJECTIVES

During a pandemic, healthcare workers are requested to volunteer for potentially high-risk frontline duties outside of usual hospital and primary care clinic settings in order to better serve vulnerable communities. Examination of volunteer motivations and impact of such experiences can drive more effective pandemic response efforts with regards to volunteer recruitment and retention. This study aims to explore the motivational factors underlying healthcare worker volunteerism in COVID-19 pandemic response operations in the community, and to describe the impact of such operations on volunteers, in order to highlight important volunteer recruitment strategies and ensure volunteer sustainability.

METHODS

A qualitative phenomenological approach is taken in this study through the use of semi-structured individual interviews of healthcare staff, to provide in-depth exploration of personal experiences. Staff were purposefully sampled to ensure diversity of personal and professional backgrounds.

RESULTS

A total of 35 staff, consisting of 17 males and 18 females from medical, nursing, allied health, and administrative backgrounds, who participated in COVID-19 community-based operations in migrant worker dormitories and swab isolation facilities were interviewed. The main motivational factors were volunteer functions of values, understanding and enhancement. Participants were positively impacted on personal and professional levels, including self-growth, societal awareness, as well as skills development in leadership and team management.

CONCLUSIONS

Healthcare organizations should consider volunteer functions in matching individual motivations to volunteer opportunities. Additionally, personal narratives and role-modelling by senior staff can serve as useful adjunct strategies to volunteer recruitment, while providing pre-pandemic preparedness, reassurance of safety, support, and recognition.

Factors Associated With the Intention to Participate in Coronavirus Disease 2019 Frontline Prevention Activities Among Nursing Students in Vietnam: An Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior

Introduction: Medical students have been serving as a key part of the frontline health workforce responding to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic globally. Their contribution is especially important in the resource-scarce settings of developing nations such as Vietnam. Yet, the intention of medical students, in particular, nursing students, to participate in COVID-19 frontline prevention activities has not been well-understood. This study aimed to examine factors associated with the intentionto participate in COVID-19 frontline prevention activities among Vietnamese nursing students.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on a total of 597 students in December 2020 in Hanoi, Vietnam. Information regarding the socioeconomic characteristics of participants, their source of COVID-19 related knowledge, and their perception and attitude toward participating in COVID-19 frontline activities [based on Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB)] was collected. A hierarchical regression model was employed to examine the association between intentions of students and associated factors.

Results: A positive intention to participate in COVID-19 frontline prevention activities was found (mean score of 25.3 over 35; SD = 4.4; min = 5; max = 35). Attitude toward behavior, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control (PBC) was found to be significantly associated with the intention of students. These variables explained the 37% variation in the intention of students in the model. Among three factors, subjective norm showed the strongest correlation with intention of students (β = 0.358; p < 0.001). Obtaining information from official sources and community was also found to be positively correlated with intention to participate.

Conclusion: Most of the respondents reported a positive intention to participate in COVID-19 frontline prevention activities. The findings suggested that the TPB was a good instrument to predict the intention to perform behavior among Vietnamese students. Enhancing the positive attitude of students, encouraging family and community supports, and providing adequately essential resources will contribute to optimizing the participation of students to confront COVID-19.

To Volunteer or Not? Perspectives towards Pre-Registered Nursing Students Volunteering Frontline during COVID-19 Pandemic to Ease Healthcare Workforce: A Qualitative Study

COVID-19 has caused a shortage of healthcare workers and has strained healthcare systems globally. Pre-registered healthcare students with training have a duty of care and can support the healthcare workforce. This study explored factors influencing the willingness of final-year nursing students to volunteer during the COVID-19 pandemic, the role of professional identity in volunteering as healthcare workers, and strategies to improve future volunteering uptakes and processes. A qualitative study using focus-group discussions was conducted. Final-year nursing students who volunteered, students who did not volunteer, and lecturers who supervised student volunteers were recruited. Interviews were conducted online, video-recorded, and transcribed verbatim. A thematic analysis was used. The themes were “wavering thoughts on volunteering”, “bringing out ‘the nurse’ in students through volunteering” and “gearing up to volunteer”. Findings suggested the need to look beyond the simplicity of altruism to the role of professional identity, operational, and motivational factors to explain nursing students’ decision to volunteer and their volunteer behavior. Providing accommodation, monetary and academic-related incentives, supporting the transitionary phase from students to “professional volunteers”, promoting cohesive and positive staff–student volunteer relationships, and establishing a volunteer management team are strategies identified to improve volunteering uptake and operational processes. Our findings advocate strategic partnerships between hospitals/communities and academic institutions in providing various healthcare services during pandemics.