Frontlines and Crossroads: The Impact of COVID-19 on the Motivations of Medical Students from Selected Philippine Medical Schools in Pursuing Their Medical Studies
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5195/ijms.2025.2509Keywords:
Medical Education, Online Learning, COVID-19, Motivation, PhilippinesAbstract
Background: Because the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic forced Philippine medical education to shift online, the loss of practical skills and face-to-face clinical interactions affected many students to cope with lifestyle and learning changes. This study aimed to assess the strength and nature of motivations of medical students to pursue their studies during the pandemic, and to propose recommendations to support them through the pandemic and beyond. Methods: Inductive thematic analysis was done of semi-structured interviews with 17 medical students selected through purposive convenience, purposive and stratified sampling. Recruitment was carried out through the Association of Philippine Medical Colleges. Eligible respondents were pre-clinical and clinical medical students enrolled in School Year (SY) 2020-2021 who experienced the transition to an online setting. Results: The desire to serve motivated most pre-clinical medical students, while financial reward was a factor for clinical medical students. Despite the limitations of online education, lack of social interaction and skills training, medical students had strengthened motivations to continue as the pandemic highlighted the need for physicians, reinforcing their intrinsic desire to serve others despite mental health and financial issues. Conclusions: While most medical students felt more motivated in pursuing their studies during the pandemic, there was a desire and call for more support in their studies and training. Their personal stories suggested there is room for improvement in certain aspects of local medical education. Addressing concerns through financial and educational support, and bridging clinical skills with online learning would help create quality healthcare beyond the pandemic context.
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