Volunteering Motivations of Medical Undergraduates for Community Service at a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital- A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Introduction: There are very few studies from Western countries and almost none from India, that have tried to understand the factors influencing students’ motivation to volunteer for community service and much less on medical student’s motivation to volunteer for community service. Aim: To identify the factors that influence motivation of medical students to volunteer for community service. Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive study was done over a period of two weeks in November 2017. The study participants were medical students of a private medical college from Southern India. Semi-structured interviews were conducted using an interview guide based on a standardised motivation to volunteer inventory. Data was collected till data saturation was reached, which was 20 students. The interviews were conducted in privacy. Verbatim notes were taken and the interview was also recorded after taking consent from the participants. The data was transcribed and triangulation done. The data was analysed using the thematic analysis approach. Results: The main motives were enhancement and career motives. Value was not the main motive. Two other motives emerged, that were curiosity and relief from boredom. Conclusion: The study shows that the main motives behind volunteerism were enhancement and career. This was the first such study from India to the best of our knowledge which has enquired into the motives behind volunteerism in medical students.