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

Magdalena Cerbin-Koczorowska (), Piotr Przymuszała, Michał Kłos, Dominika Bazan, Paweł Żebryk, Paweł Uruski and Ryszard Marciniak
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Magdalena Cerbin-Koczorowska: Department of Medical Education, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-806 Poznan, Poland
Piotr Przymuszała: Department of Medical Education, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-806 Poznan, Poland
Michał Kłos: Students’ Scientific Club of Medical Education, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-806 Poznan, Poland
Dominika Bazan: Promotion and Careers Office, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 61-701 Poznan, Poland
Paweł Żebryk: Department of Medical Education, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-806 Poznan, Poland
Paweł Uruski: Department of Hypertensiology, Angiology and Internal Medicine, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 61-848 Poznan, Poland
Ryszard Marciniak: Department of Medical Education, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-806 Poznan, Poland

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 24, 1-18

Abstract: 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.

Keywords: volunteering; community-based education; service learning; medical students; healthcare students; COVID-19 pandemic; professional identity formation; interprofessional education (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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