Department of Social Sciences and Humanities, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Rokietnicka 7 St., 60-806 Poznań, Poland.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Feb 17;19(4):2314. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19042314.
The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the closure of all Polish medical universities. Simultaneously, due to staff shortages and the Polish health-care system being seriously challenged, many students were eager to contribute to the fight against the outbreak. This study explores medial student volunteers' (MSV) perspectives and their lived experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland.
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty-one students.
A total of seven major themes emerged from the interviews: 1. students' reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2. students' experiences of the outbreak, 3. motivations for volunteering, 4. students' perceptions of the COVID-19 volunteering, 5. organization of students' volunteering, 6. benefits and costs of volunteering during COVID-19, and 7. social perception of MSVs. Although students volunteering was an example of civic responsibility and created new learning opportunities, many students felt unprepared for the pandemic, lacked social skills and access to psychological support, and were the target of stigmatization and discrimination.
Because during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic medical universities were closed and classes were held online, students' volunteering became an important part of service learning and created an opportunity for education. Consequently, while it benefited students, patients and the healthcare system, students' involvement reinforced such important values of medical ethos as: altruism, public service, and (professional) solidarity. However, some systemic approach should be undertaken that would prepare students better for future crises.
COVID-19 大流行的第一波导致波兰所有医科大学关闭。与此同时，由于人员短缺和波兰医疗保健系统受到严重挑战，许多学生渴望为抗击疫情做出贡献。本研究探讨了波兰医学生志愿者（MSV）在 COVID-19 大流行期间的观点和亲身经历。
对 21 名学生进行了半结构化访谈。
访谈中出现了七个主要主题：1. 学生对 COVID-19 大流行的反应，2. 学生对疫情的体验，3. 志愿服务的动机，4. 学生对 COVID-19 志愿服务的看法，5. 学生志愿服务的组织，6. COVID-19 期间志愿服务的收益和成本，7. MSV 的社会认知。尽管学生志愿者是公民责任的典范，并创造了新的学习机会，但许多学生感到对大流行毫无准备，缺乏社交技能和获得心理支持的机会，并且成为污名化和歧视的目标。
由于 COVID-19 大流行的第一波期间医科大学关闭，课程在线上进行，因此学生的志愿服务成为服务学习的重要组成部分，并为教育创造了机会。因此，虽然对学生、患者和医疗保健系统有益，但学生的参与强化了医学道德的重要价值观，如利他主义、公共服务和（专业）团结。然而，应该采取一些系统的方法，使学生为未来的危机做好更好的准备。
