Potential of Volunteering in Formal and Informal Medical Education—A Theory-Driven Cross-Sectional Study with Example of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Autor: Magdalena Cerbin-Koczorowska, Piotr Przymuszała, Michał Kłos, Dominika Bazan, Paweł Żebryk, Paweł Uruski, Ryszard Marciniak
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2022
Předmět:
Zdroj: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health; Volume 19; Issue 24; Pages: 16955
ISSN: 1660-4601
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192416955
Popis: Students’ volunteering is an effective way to manage health crises, including pandemics. Due to the limited capacity of the healthcare system at the time of the COVID-19 outbreak, the engagement of students in volunteering services seemed invaluable. Based on different teaching–learning theories, in this survey study, we aimed to evaluate the potential of the volunteering service project launched by the Poznan University of Medical Sciences during the COVID-19 pandemic as a learning opportunity for undergraduate healthcare students. The results indicate the potential of involving students in volunteering activities for educational purposes, as well as other values, including attitudes and professional identity development, which could be difficult to realize using traditional teaching methods. However, stimulating students’ reflectiveness seems necessary to reach its full educational effectiveness. Medical teachers should provide students with more opportunities for volunteering and service learning and consider making these a constant element of the curriculum beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.
Databáze: OpenAIRE