Examining Medical Student Volunteering During The COVID-19 Pandemic As A Prosocial Behavior During An Emergency

Introduction: COVID-19 has caused major disruptions to healthcare, with voluntary opportunities offered to medical students to provide clinical support. We used the conceptual framework of prosocial behavior during an emergency - behaviors whose primary focus is benefiting others - to examine volunteering during COVID-19. Methods: We conducted an in-depth, mixed-methods cross-sectional survey, from 2nd May to 15th June 2020, of medical students studying at UK medical schools. Data analysis was informed by Latane and Darley9s theory of prosocial behavior during an emergency and aimed to understand students9 decision-making processes. Results: A total of 1145 medical students from 36 medical schools completed the survey. While 947 (82.7%) of students were willing to volunteer, only 391 (34.3%) had volunteered. The majority (92.7%) of students understood that they may be asked to volunteer; however, we found that deciding one9s responsibility to volunteer was mitigated by a complex interaction between the interests of others and self-interest. Further, concerns revolving around professional role boundaries influenced students9 decisions over whether they had the required skills and knowledge to volunteer. Deciding to volunteer depended not only on possession of necessary skills, but also seniority and identification with the nature of volunteering roles offered. Conclusions: We propose two additional domains to Latane and Darley9s theory of prosocial behavior during an emergency that students consider before making their final decision to volunteer. These are 9logistics9 - whether it is logistically feasible to volunteer - and 9safety9 - whether it is safe to volunteer. This study highlights a number of modifiable barriers to prosocial behavior that medical students encounter and provides suggestions regarding how Latane and Darley9s theory of prosocial behavior can be operationalized within educational strategies to address these barriers. Optimizing the process of volunteering can aid healthcare provision and may facilitate a safer volunteering process for all.