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

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.

Health professionals' involvement in volunteering their professional skills: a scoping review

Background

Volunteering positively affects overall health of both volunteers and recipients through social interaction, support and physical activity. Health professionals' volunteering has considerable potential to improve health outcomes in communities.

Objectives

This study aimed to summarize published scientific literature regarding volunteering by health professionals.

Method

Medine, Embase, Scopus, PsycINFO and CINAHLdatabases were searched to identify eligible studies published between 2010 and 2023. Data on study methods and findings were extracted and synthesized.

Results

Of the 144 eligible studies, 80 (56%) used quantitative methods, 46 (32%) used qualitative, 18 (12%) used mixed methods and 8 (6%) were interventional. Doctors (74 studies, 51%) and nurses (n = 40, 28%) were the professions with most reports of volunteering. Half the studies were from USA (n = 77, 53%), followed by UK (n = 19, 13%), Canada (n = 12, 8%), and Australia/New Zealand (n = 11, 8%). International volunteering in low-to-middle-income countries was reported in 64 studies (44%). Providing service and training were the dominant types of activities (n = 90, 62.5%), with health promotion reported in only 4 studies (3%). Studies reported positive impact from volunteering, both professionally and personally. Time and family commitments were the main barriers. Enablers, barriers and impact were summarized in a socio-ecological map.

Conclusion

Health professionals volunteer in diverse activities and report multifaceted benefits. Studies of volunteering interventions could enable new, sustainable approaches to health promotion.

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.

A qualitative assessment of barriers and facilitators of telemedicine volunteerism during the COVID-19 pandemic in India

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic further propelled the recent growth of telemedicine in low-resource countries, with new models of telemedicine emerging, including volunteer-based telemedicine networks. By leveraging existing infrastructure and resources to allocate health personnel more efficiently, these volunteer networks eased some of the pandemic burden placed on health systems. However, there is insufficient understanding of volunteer-based telemedicine models, especially on the human resources engagement on such networks. This study aims to understand the motivations and barriers to health practitioner engagement on a volunteer telemedicine network during COVID-19, and the mechanisms that can potentially sustain volunteer engagement to address healthcare demands beyond the pandemic.

METHODS

In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with health practitioners volunteering on an Indian, multi-state telemedicine network during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were analyzed using thematic content analysis methods.

RESULTS

Most practitioners reported being motivated to volunteer by a sense of duty to serve during the pandemic. Practitioners suggested organizational-level measures to make the process more efficient and facilitate a more rewarding provider-patient interaction. These included screening calls, gathering patient information prior to consultations, and allowing for follow-up calls with patients to close the loop on consultations. Many practitioners stated that non-financial incentives are enough to maintain volunteer engagement. However, practitioners expressed mixed feelings about financial incentives. Some stated that financial incentives are needed to maintain long-term provider engagement, while others stated that financial incentives would devalue the volunteer experience. Most practitioners highlighted that telemedicine could increase access to healthcare, especially to the rural and underserved, even after the pandemic. Practitioners also expressed an interest in continuing to volunteer with the network if the need arose again.

CONCLUSION

Our study findings suggest that practitioners are highly intrinsically motivated to volunteer during large healthcare emergencies and beyond to address the healthcare needs of the underserved. Following the recommendations presented in the study, telemedicine networks can more successfully engage and maintain volunteer practitioners. Volunteer-based telemedicine networks have the potential to bridge shortages of health personnel in resource-constrained settings both in times of crises and beyond.

Inactive nurses' willingness to return to active nursing during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study

AIMS

To investigate factors that influence the willingness of inactive nurses to return to nursing in a crisis situation and to identify aspects that need to be considered with regard to a possible deployment.

DESIGN

A deductive and inductive qualitative content analysis of semi-structured focus group interviews.

METHODS

Semi-structured focus group interviews with inactive or marginally employed nurses, nurses who have been inactive for some time and nursing home managers in October and November 2021. The participating inactive nurses had declared their willingness for a deployment during the COVID-19 pandemic or not. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis.

RESULTS

Communication was seen as essential by the participants for an informed decision for or against a temporary return to nursing and to potential or actual deployments. To make them feel safe, inactive nurses need to know what to expect and what is expected of them, for example, regarding required training and responsibilities. Considering their current employment status, some flexibility in terms of deployment conditions is needed. A remaining attachment to care can trigger a sense of duty. Knowledge of (regular) working conditions in nursing can lead to both a desire to support former colleagues and a refusal to be exposed to these conditions again.

CONCLUSION

Past working experiences and the current employment situation play a major role in the willingness of inactive nurses to return to nursing in a crisis situation. Unbureaucratic arrangements must be provided for those who are willing to return.

SUMMARY STATEMENT

What already is known - In crisis situations, not every inactive nurse is willing or able to return to nursing and therefore, the 'silent reserve' may not be as large as suspected. What this paper adds - Inactive nurses need to know what to expect and what is expected of them for their decision regarding a return to active patient care during a crisis situation. Implications for practice/policy - Inactive nurses need to be informed and should be offered free training and refresher courses to ensure patient safety.

IMPACT

This research shows that the group of inactive nurses are not a silent workforce which can be activated anytime. Those who are able and willing to return to direct patient care in crisis situations need the best possible support - during and between crises.

REPORTING METHOD

This study adhered to COREQ guidelines.

NO PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

The involvement of patients or members of the public did not apply for the study, as the aim was to gain insight into the motivations and attitudes of the group of inactive nurses.

The measured impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on nursing students' wellbeing, clinical placement and learning experiences: a cross sectional study

Background: The epidemiological patterns of COVID-19 varied across Australia and differed from most other countries. Few studies describe the impact that the pandemic had on nursing student wellbeing, education and career.Aim: This study aimed to investigate how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted on nursing students' well-being, clinical placement and learning.Design: Cross-sectional survey.Setting: Sydney, Australia.Participants: Second- and third-year nursing students.Methods: Second- and third-year nursing degree students were asked to participate in an ethically approved study during March to May 2021. The de-identified on-line survey consisted of 63 closed end question and one open ended question. On completion, the dataset was exported from Redcap and imported into SPSS for analysis. Open ended text data were analysed by two researchers.Results: Of the 105 participating nursing students, a third (n = 26/83, 31%) thought about changing their degree to a non-nursing degree. The acknowledged risk of caring for a COVID-19 patient incrementally increased stress (β-coefficient = 0.6, p value = 0.009, 95% CI 0.2-0.9). Conversely students who intended to complete their degree were less likely to report stress. Students who had prior nursing experience were three times more likely to report an increased generalised anxiety level (OR 3.8, p-value = 0.02, 95% CI 1.2-12.2), yet they were less likely to experience personal accomplishment burnout compared to other students. Nursing students who contemplated a change of degree to a non-nursing degree were 15.7 times more likely to experience emotional exhaustion and were 3.5 times more likely to be report a risk of depersonalisation (p = 0.03, 95% CI, 1.3-11.5).Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic compromised nursing student well-being, and theoretical and practical learning. Findings have implications for healthcare and academic staff who teach nursing students. Implementation of student-centred evidence-based strategies to manage stress, burnout and anxiety, and to sustain a healthy student cohort is essential to retain the future nursing workforce.

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).

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Professional Attitudes of Medical Students: A Pre-Post-Like Study

OBJECTIVE

This study assesses the difference in professional attitudes among medical students, both before and after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and identifies the determinants closely associated with it, while providing precise and scientific evidence for implementing precision education on such professional attitudes.

METHODS

A pre-post-like study was conducted among medical students in 31 provinces in mainland China, from March 23, to April 19, 2021.

RESULTS

The proportion of medical students whose professional attitudes were disturbed after the COVID-19 pandemic, was significantly lower than before the COVID-19 pandemic (χ2 = 15.6216; P < 0.0001). Compared with the "undisturbed -undisturbed" group, the "undisturbed-disturbed" group showed that there was a 1.664-fold risk of professional attitudes disturbed as grade increased, 3.269-fold risk when others suggested they choose a medical career rather than their own desire, and 7.557-fold risk for students with COVID-19 in their family, relatives, or friends; while the "disturbed-undisturbed" group showed that students with internship experience for professional attitudes strengthened was 2.933-fold than those without internship experience.

CONCLUSIONS

The professional attitudes of medical students have been strengthened during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results provide evidence of the importance of education on professional attitudes among medical students during public health emergencies.

The role of patient volunteers in Fangcang Shelter Hospital during the Omicron wave of COVID-19 pandemic in Shanghai, China: a qualitative study

Objective

During the Omicron wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Shanghai, Fangcang Shelter Hospital (FSH) served as the major way in patient quarantine. Many COVID patients served as volunteers in FSH providing a lot of assistance for the medical workers and other COVID patients. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of patient volunteers in FSH. It helps health professionals better understand their motivational incentives and barriers in their volunteer work, and improves recruiting and managing volunteers in subsequent public health emergencies.

Methods

This is a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews. Thirteen patient volunteers working in an FSH in Shanghai were included. Thematic analysis was applied to data analysis.

Results

Four themes and nine subthemes were identified. The wishes to give back to society and the responsibility of politics and religion were the main reasons for the patients to serve as volunteers in FSH. The patient volunteers served as the bridge to reduce the communication barriers between other patients and healthcare professionals. They also provided support in supply distribution and psychological counseling. They viewed voluntary work as a usual task and tried to solve the barriers in their work. In turn, the voluntary work brought them benefits in mental and physical health, as well as another chance for growth.

Conclusion

Working as volunteers in FSHs not only brought personal benefits to the COVID patients but also fulfilled the needs of the healthcare system during public health emergencies. The mode of mutual help between patients could be taken as an example in other public health emergencies.

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.

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.

Stress load and volunteer motivation of patient volunteers in Fangcang shelter hospitals in Shanghai, China during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional survey

OBJECTIVES

This study aims to assess the volunteer motivation and stress load of patient volunteers in the Fangcang shelter hospitals (FSHs), examine their associations, and explore the potential influence factors of volunteer motivation.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional online survey conducted from 21 April to 20 May 2022.

SETTING

Questionnaires were collected from patient volunteers selected by random cluster sampling in the FSHs in Shanghai, China.

PARTICIPANTS

197 participants who met the inclusion criteria as patients who were asymptomatic or presenting with mild symptoms in the FSHs and who volunteered to assist with routine work under quarantined settings.

OUTCOME MEASURES

We investigated sociodemographic information, stress load and volunteer motivation through an online survey using the Volunteer Function Inventory and the Stress Overload Scale. Comparisons between groups were conducted by applying t-tests or analysis of variance. The correlation between volunteer motivation and stress was analysed by Pearson correlation. Influencing factors of volunteer motivation were determined by multivariable linear regression models. A value of p<0.05 was used to declare statistical significance.

RESULTS

The mean score of volunteer motivation of patient volunteers was 73.24 (SD 12.00), while that of stress load was 46.08 (SD 21.28). The mean scores of the personal vulnerability (PV) and event load (EL), two dimensions of stress load, were 26.99 (SD 12.46) and 19.09 (SD 9.63), respectively. The majority of the participants (136, 69.04%) were grouped in the low (PV)-low (EL) stress category. Participants' volunteer motivation was negatively correlated with stress load (r=-0.238, p<0.001), as well as PV (r=-0.188, p<0.01) and EL (r=-0.283, p<0.001). Multivariable linear regression analysis identified that the potential influencing factors of volunteer motivation were occupation (B=1.100, 95% CI 0.037 to 2.164, p=0.043), health condition (B=-3.302, 95% CI -5.287 to -1.317, p<0.001) and EL (B=-0.434, 95% CI -0.756 to -0.111, p=0.009). Participants who worked in the public sector, had better health conditions and had lower EL were more likely to have higher volunteer motivation.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study suggested that reducing stress load might be a possible pathway to encourage and maintain volunteerism in the FSH context. Implications and suggestions for future research on patient volunteer recruitment and management could be drawn from our findings.

Clinical experiences of final-year nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-synthesis

OBJECTIVES

This systematic review aimed to qualitatively synthesise existing literature to examine the clinical nursing experiences of final-year nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic and provide recommendations for the effective management of clinical placement of nursing students.

DESIGN

A qualitative systematic review was conducted and reported following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines.

DATA SOURCES

Five electronic databases were searched and qualitative studies were included for analysis if they focussed on the clinical nursing experiences of final-year nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

REVIEW METHODS

Data synthesis was conducted by extracting all findings, developing categories, and producing synthesised findings.

RESULTS

Four synthesised findings were concluded: 1) facing the unknown and willingness to help, 2) challenging the clinical environment, 3) transition improving professional identity, and 4) finding ways out of the pandemic.

CONCLUSIONS

The transition of nursing students to clinical nursing practice during the pandemic is a personally and professionally challenging process, while nursing students try to adapt to the changing clinical environment and enhance their professional identity. Nursing managers and health policymakers should acknowledge the challenges encountered by nursing students during the pandemic and support the professional growth of future nursing teams by providing high-quality supervision.

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.

Volunteer Engagement in a Stroke Self-Management Program: Qualitative Analysis of a Hybrid Team of Healthcare Providers and Trained Volunteers

Stroke recovery is a complex, multidimensional and heterogeneous process. Volunteer engagement improves the delivery of interventions in stroke rehabilitation programs but is under-utilized due to poor role clarity and other program-related concerns. We evaluated healthcare providers’ and volunteers’ perceptions of volunteer engagement in an 8-week self-management program that provided self-management support for community-dwelling stroke survivors. Using a qualitative design, we conducted individual, semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of 5 trained healthcare providers and 18 volunteers. The participants shared their experiences of supporting survivors, perceptions of volunteer engagement, and areas of improvement to optimize volunteer support. Three main themes and six subthemes emerged: bilateral exchange between healthcare providers/volunteers and survivors; adoption of individualized approaches; and suggestions for optimizing volunteer contributions. Volunteer engagement can be optimized by developing well-designed programs with sufficient role clarity, strengthened collaborations with healthcare providers and adequate training. Our findings highlighted the contributions of trained volunteers in supporting stroke survivors’ self-management. Future research should evaluate the use of peer and healthcare professional volunteers in such programs and build community capacity to support stroke survivors’ recovery.

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.

Volunteering among Chinese College Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Volunteering has been found to be not only beneficial to the well-being of recipients but also to the volunteers themselves, particularly from the life course perspective. Although previous studies have identified key factors of volunteering motivation, the literature is less focused on the interplay of public interest and private gains in volunteering motivation. This study used 1871 college students across China to examine how the interplay between public interest and private gains affects general and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)-specific volunteering during the pandemic. The results show that the interplay of these two factors constitutes a dynamic process, depending on the volunteering and time-specific context. Overall, undergraduate students with greater concern for public interest and less preference in private gains had the highest rate of overall volunteering, followed by students with high concern for both public interest and private gains. It is crucial to take both public interest and private gains into account when discussing volunteering opportunities among Chinese college students, which may increase the well-being of students in the long run.

To come back or not to come back during the coronavirus crisis-A cross-sectional online survey of inactive nurses

Aims

To examine whether inactive nurses are willing to return to nursing during the COVID‐19 pandemic, the reasons for or against their decision and further, possibly relevant factors.

Design

Cross‐sectional online survey.

Methods

We developed a questionnaire, addressing registration, professional experiences, anticipations, and internal and external factors that might affect the decision of inactive nurses to return to nursing during the pandemic. Between 27 April and 15 June 2020, we recruited participants in Germany via social networks, organizations and institutions and asked them to forward the link to wherever other inactive nurses might be reached.

Results

Three hundred and thirty‐two participants (73% female) could be included in the analysis. The majority of the participants (n = 262, 79%) were general nurses. The main reason for registering was ‘want to do my bit to manage the crisis’ (n = 73, 22.8%). More than two thirds of the participants (n = 230, 69%) were not or not yet registered. One hundred and twelve (49%) out of 220 participants, who gave reasons why they did not register, selected they ‘could not see a necessity at that time’. The few inactive nurses who were deployed reported a variety of experiences.

Conclusions

Different factors influence the nurses’ decision to register or not. A critical factor for their decision was previous experiences that had made them leave the job and prevented a return—even for a limited time in a special situation.

Impact

From the responses of the participants in this study, it can be deduced that: negative experiences made while working in nursing influence the willingness to volunteer for a deployment; only one‐third of the inactive nurses would be willing to return to the nursing profession to help manage the Corona pandemic; policymakers and nursing leaders should not rely on the availability of inactive nurses in a crisis.

Using the Theory of Planned Behaviour to explain junior nurses’ and final‐year student nurses’ intention to care for COVID‐19 patients in China: a multisite cross‐sectional study

Aim

To explore junior nurses' and final‐year student nurses' intention to care for COVID‐19 patients amidst the Delta COVID‐19 variant outbreak in China using the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) as a framework.

Background

The COVID‐19 pandemic has intensified global nursing shortage. Junior nurses and final‐year student nurses represent the backbone of the future frontline nursing workforce. The TPB is a valid theoretical model for predicting nurses' caring behaviours.

Methods

A 47‐item self‐administered questionnaire was disseminated online to a convenience sample of 547 junior nurses and final‐year student nurses located in 13 regions across mainland China.

Results

Approximately 63.4% of the participants intended to care for COVID‐19 patients voluntarily and 65.6% by non‐voluntary assignment. The TPB model significantly predicted 45% of the variance in behavioural intention, subjective norms being the strongest predictor. Gender, vaccination status and ethical perceptions regarding frontline work significantly correlated with the intention to provide care.

Conclusions

Our findings highlight the importance of social, organisational and family support underpinning future junior nurses' professional commitment in times of public health crisis.

Implications for nursing management

Pandemic‐tailored workplace training programmes for nurses/student nurses that emphasize on self‐care and ethical issue discussions are warranted. Hospital managers should collaborate with community partners to offer additional family support for nurses in need.

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.