Abstract
BackgroundUndertaking a period of voluntary work or a professional placement overseas has long been a feature of medical training in the UK. There are now a number of high profile National Health Service (NHS) initiatives aimed at increasing access to such opportunities for staff at all levels. We present findings from a qualitative study involving a range of NHS staff and other stakeholders which explored barriers to participation in these activities.MethodsA grounded theory methodology was drawn upon to conduct thematic based analysis. Our data included in-depth, semi-structured interviews with a range of returned volunteers, non-volunteers and other stakeholders (n = 51) who were, or had been, employed by the NHS.ResultsThere are significant barriers to placement and volunteering activity stemming from structural and organisational shortcomings within the NHS. Difficulties in filling clinical roles has a significant impact on the ability of staff to plan and undertake independent placements. There is currently no clearly defined pathway within the NHS by which the majority of grades can apply for, or organise, a period of overseas voluntary or professional placement activity. There were divergent views on the relevance and usefulness of overseas professional placements.ConclusionsWe argue that in the context of current UK policy initiatives aimed at facilitating overseas volunteer and professional placement activity, urgent attention needs to be given to the structural and organisational framework within which such initiatives will be required to work.
Highlights
Undertaking a period of voluntary work or a professional placement overseas has long been a feature of medical training in the UK
Undertaking a period of voluntary work or a placement overseas has long been a feature of medical training in the UK, and the option to participate in such activity is built in to a wide variety of clinical training programmes [1]
The analysis we present here focuses on aspects of the qualitative component of a mixed methods study Measuring the Outcomes of Volunteering for Education (MOVE), which aimed to explore the issues and context around international placements skills gain, and describe core personal and professional skills outcomes that are directly relevant to the National Health Service (NHS)
Summary
Undertaking a period of voluntary work or a placement overseas has long been a feature of medical training in the UK, and the option to participate in such activity is built in to a wide variety of clinical training programmes [1]. Until recently, providing such opportunities for the myriad of other grades and roles within the National Health Service (NHS), non-clinical ones, has not been a priority, and employment structures within the organisation have remained relatively inflexible in this respect [2]. The settings in which people are deployed (e.g. developmental settings in stable contexts; humanitarian aid in unstable locations; emergency responses to natural disasters and so on), will have
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