ArticleBMJ open2021
Exploring medical students' perceptions of the challenges and benefits of volunteering in the intensive care unit during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study.
Article in BMJ open, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 41 citations in OpenAlex.
- Health professional student's volunteering activities during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic literature review.Frontiers in medicine · 2022Pooled it
- "It would be nice if the university appreciated the commitment more" - medical students and their learning and working experiences as co-caregivers during the pandemic.GMS journal for medical education · 2025Article
- Motivations, challenges, and benefits of first aid knowledge popularization volunteerism among undergraduate medical students: a qualitative study.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Training healthcare professionals to be ready for practice in an era of social distancing: a realist evaluation.Advances in health sciences education : theory and practice · 2024Article
- The challenges of voluntary care provision for hospitalized patients with COVID-19: A qualitative study of the public volunteers' experiences.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2024Article
- Self-reported perceptions of ethical and professional expectations of medical students in China and the influence of voluntary work during the COVID-19: a survey on "Five Characteristics".Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Creating a smart classroom in intensive care using assisted reality technology.Journal of the Intensive Care Society · 2024Article
- Exploring the experiences, motivations, and skillsets of nurse volunteers during Hajj: implications for enhancing volunteer programs.BMC nursing · 2024Article
- Relationship between interprofessional collaboration and psychological distress experienced by healthcare professionals during COVID-19: a monocentric cross-sectional study.Frontiers in medicine · 2024Article
- The feasibility of health professional student delivered social visits for stroke survivors with loneliness.Frontiers in stroke · 2024Article
- Understanding medical professionalism using express team-based learning; a qualitative case-based study.Medical education online · 2023Article
- Personal protective equipment and medical students in times of COVID-19: experiences and perspectives from the final clerkship year.BMC medical education · 2023Article
- Developing as health professionals through community volunteering: exploring the value of a partnership between medical students and primary schools online compared to in-person.BMC medical education · 2023Article
- The impact of health volunteering of radiology students on improving their self-skills and practical capabilities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.Frontiers in medicine · 2023Article
- Medical students on the COVID-19 frontline: a qualitative investigation of experiences of relief, stress, and mental health.Frontiers in medicine · 2023Article
- Article
- Responsibility driven learning in primary care: a qualitative evaluation of a medical student COVID-19 volunteering programme.BMC medical education · 2022Article
- Screening for SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Students at the Medical University of Warsaw, Poland Between November 15 and December 10, 2021 Using a Single Lateral Flow Test, the Panbio™ COVID-19 Ag Rapid Test.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2022Article
- Medical School Curriculum Relating to Clinical Ethical Decision Making During a Pandemic: A Scoping Review.Journal of medical education and curricular developmentArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 1 institution in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesIn 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.
designThis 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.
resultsThe 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.
conclusionThese 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.
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