Effects of gender and grade on differences in physiotherapy students' interest and reasons for participating in overseas volunteer programs.
Akira Kubo, Ko Onoda, Yusuke Nishida and 2 others
PMID 32982057WHAT IT FOUND
Female physical therapy students reported more interest in overseas volunteer programs than male students.
Grade differences appeared only among females, with first-year females reporting the highest interest. These are self-reported interests, not patient-care outcomes.
Key findings
01Female physical therapy students reported more interest in overseas volunteer programs than male students.
02Grade differences in interest and reasons were significant only among female students.
03Gender differences in reasons for volunteering were found for all items except being invited by a friend or acquaintance.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
This was a cross-sectional survey of self-reported interest, so it cannot show that gender or grade caused differences, nor that interested students actually volunteered or gained competence. It included students from campuses of the International University of Health and Welfare, and the authors state the results may not be generalisable to other schools. Twenty-nine students were excluded because of lack of informed consent and absence, and the paper does not report the final analysed count. The outcome was interest in overseas volunteering, not patient care, clinical skill, or volunteer program effectiveness.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that overseas volunteer programs make better therapists or improve patient care. This survey measured only self-reported interest in volunteering among students at the International University of Health and Welfare; it did not test whether volunteering improves skills or outcomes.