Intergenerational Benefits of Student Volunteerism in Medical Education
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21615273 |
|---|---|
| Authors | David Jiao Zheng (0000-0003-4725-2638, Third-year medical student, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada;.), Heidi Oi-Yee Li (0000-0001-6495-088X, University of Ottawa) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 96 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | e9-e9 |
| Publication date | 2021-02-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Academic Medicine (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1040-2446 • E-ISSN: 1938-808X |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1097/acm.0000000000003849 |
| PMID | 33181522 |
| OpenAlex | W3099037377 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 3 |
As many medical schools have canceled summer electives, research positions, and clinical rotations during the COVID-19 pandemic, students have faced significant disruption of daily routines, with associated uncertainty and social withdrawal. Such loss of routine academic opportunities and social interactions may lead to feelings of inertia and anxiety, increasing the already high mental health burden experienced by students and worsening preexisting mental health conditions. 1 One solution is volunteerism. We founded Creative Connection to connect students with seniors across Canada via video call to provide live one-on-one and small-group musical/art performances. Through these interactions, students regain self-esteem and purpose in a social role, which combats feelings of helplessness and predicts better mental health. 2 Furthermore, these intergenerational interactions promote positive attitudes regarding aging and patient-centered care—essential for cultivating empathy in future physicians during a time of limited patient interactions. Not only do intergenerational initiatives restore a sense of purpose for students, but they also mobilize the workforce necessary to help health care staff provide social connection for seniors
Empathy · Feeling · Loneliness · Mental health · Population · Psychiatry · Psychological resilience · Social distance · Social isolation · Empathy and Medical Education · Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnout · Innovations in Medical Education · Medicine · Psychology · Social Psychology
| Citations per year | 0.25 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2022 - 2022 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |