Abstract
Background: Community Service is an integral component of undergraduate medical education. A volunteer is an individual who, without pay, reaches out beyond the confines of their normal responsibilities; freely and willingly contribute in different ways. Volunteering and serving others can help decrease tension, mentally empower volunteers and offer purpose in life. This study aimed to assess the motivation behind volunteering activities among medical students. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted comprised of a total of 450 students of different private and government sector medical colleges of Karachi, Pakistan. A volunteer functional inventory (VFI) questionnaire was used for the study. Predictability of motivation behind volunteerism was analyzed by student’s t-test through SPSS software. Results: Out of the 450 participants in this study, 286(64%) of respondents were found to be volunteers and 164(36%) were non-volunteers, the largest respondents constituting 154 (66.7%) had been volunteering for 1-5 months, 63(14%) spent time in volunteering for 6-10 months. It was found that 228(50%) of the students were influenced by their friends to start the act of volunteering. About 72(42%) of respondents were involved in community volunteering in health and emergency services. The various variables of the motivation (protective factor, value factor, career factor, social factor, understanding factor and enhancement factor) among medical students were determined significant (p< 0.05). Conclusion: Medical students can effectively contribute in the training and healthcare initiatives. To the best of our knowledge, the involvement of healthcare volunteering is beneficial both at a personal and academic level for medical students.
Highlights
Volunteerism is the principle of an individual offering their time, energy, services, knowledge and skills freely for the benefit of other people in the community as a social responsibility rather than for any financial reward[1]
This study aimed to provide insights into how medical students are involved in volunteering and how the act of volunteering helps to foster relationships that are more positive with patients
The maximum number of participants involved in the volunteering activity was 21 years old and it was found that 286(64%) of respondents were found to be volunteers and 164(36%) were non-volunteers (Table 1)
Summary
Volunteerism is the principle of an individual offering their time, energy, services, knowledge and skills freely for the benefit of other people in the community as a social responsibility rather than for any financial reward[1]. The developing nations are still struggling in the field of volunteerism and it is not among the common activities in Pakistan. In Pakistan, the volunteer activity is said to be only 16%. There is a lack of awareness about formal volunteering among students and the public. Knowledge and understanding of volunteerism influence people to participate in volunteering programs despite the country’s economic conditions[2]. A volunteer is an individual who, without pay, reaches out beyond the confines of their normal responsibilities; freely and willingly contribute in different ways. This study aimed to assess the motivation behind volunteering activities among medical students
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