The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on enrollment in undergraduate health-related studies in Spain
Abstract The aim of this study was to determine whether the pandemic has reinforced the choice of pursuing health-related bachelor’s degrees, and to identify underlying factors that could contribute to that impact. This is a cross-sectional study using an online survey of 2,344 students of nursing,...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2023-05-01
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| Series: | BMC Medical Education |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-023-04347-5 |
| _version_ | 1797817957106057216 |
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| author | Jaume-Miquel March-Amengual Irene Cambra-Badii Consolación Pineda Galán Ester Busquets-Alibés Montse Masó Aguado Anna Ramon-Aribau Lydia Feito Grande Agustí Comella Cayuela Nuria Terribas i Sala Elena Andrade-Gómez Naiara Martínez-Perez Javier Jerez-Roig |
| author_facet | Jaume-Miquel March-Amengual Irene Cambra-Badii Consolación Pineda Galán Ester Busquets-Alibés Montse Masó Aguado Anna Ramon-Aribau Lydia Feito Grande Agustí Comella Cayuela Nuria Terribas i Sala Elena Andrade-Gómez Naiara Martínez-Perez Javier Jerez-Roig |
| author_sort | Jaume-Miquel March-Amengual |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The aim of this study was to determine whether the pandemic has reinforced the choice of pursuing health-related bachelor’s degrees, and to identify underlying factors that could contribute to that impact. This is a cross-sectional study using an online survey of 2,344 students of nursing, physiotherapy, medicine, psychology and podiatry who started health-related bachelor’s degrees after the COVID-19 outbreak in Spanish higher education institutions. The pandemic influenced the choice of these studies by increasing the desire to help others (33.2%), by increasing citizenship values (28.4%), and by increasing the desire to contribute to improving the situation of the country (27.5%). Women had a significantly greater influence on the increase in social values related to the practice of the profession produced by the pandemic, whereas men and the bachelor’s degree in podiatry were more influenced by salary prospects. An increased desire to help others was significantly higher among women and nursing and medical students. Podiatry and psychology were the degrees were most influenced by the pandemic, as more students decided to pursue them, something they had previously doubted, while in nursing, psychology, and medicine the pandemic reinforced their interest in pursuing the degree the most. Students personally affected by COVID-19 reported being more influenced in reconsidering their professional path and in reinforcing their desire to pursue the health-related studies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T09:01:07Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fdbb04097ad043eda3972c11e202e183 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1472-6920 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T09:01:07Z |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Medical Education |
| spelling | doaj.art-fdbb04097ad043eda3972c11e202e1832023-05-28T11:20:07ZengBMCBMC Medical Education1472-69202023-05-0123111310.1186/s12909-023-04347-5The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on enrollment in undergraduate health-related studies in SpainJaume-Miquel March-Amengual0Irene Cambra-Badii1Consolación Pineda Galán2Ester Busquets-Alibés3Montse Masó Aguado4Anna Ramon-Aribau5Lydia Feito Grande6Agustí Comella Cayuela7Nuria Terribas i Sala8Elena Andrade-Gómez9Naiara Martínez-Perez10Javier Jerez-Roig11Research Group On Methodology, Methods, Models and Outcomes of Health and Social Sciences (M3O), Faculty of Health Sciences and Welfare, Center for Health and Social Care Research (CESS), University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC)Research Group On Methodology, Methods, Models and Outcomes of Health and Social Sciences (M3O), Faculty of Health Sciences and Welfare, Center for Health and Social Care Research (CESS), University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC)Department of Physiotherapy, University of MálagaResearch Group On Methodology, Methods, Models and Outcomes of Health and Social Sciences (M3O), Faculty of Health Sciences and Welfare, Center for Health and Social Care Research (CESS), University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC)Research Group On Methodology, Methods, Models and Outcomes of Health and Social Sciences (M3O), Faculty of Health Sciences and Welfare, Center for Health and Social Care Research (CESS), University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC)Research Group On Methodology, Methods, Models and Outcomes of Health and Social Sciences (M3O), Faculty of Health Sciences and Welfare, Center for Health and Social Care Research (CESS), University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC)Faculty of Medicine, Complutense University of MadridResearch Group On Methodology, Methods, Models and Outcomes of Health and Social Sciences (M3O), Faculty of Health Sciences and Welfare, Center for Health and Social Care Research (CESS), University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC)Grífols Foundation Chair of Bioethics, University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC)Faculty of Health Sciences, La Rioja UniversityDepartment of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine and Nursing, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHUResearch Group On Methodology, Methods, Models and Outcomes of Health and Social Sciences (M3O), Faculty of Health Sciences and Welfare, Center for Health and Social Care Research (CESS), University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC)Abstract The aim of this study was to determine whether the pandemic has reinforced the choice of pursuing health-related bachelor’s degrees, and to identify underlying factors that could contribute to that impact. This is a cross-sectional study using an online survey of 2,344 students of nursing, physiotherapy, medicine, psychology and podiatry who started health-related bachelor’s degrees after the COVID-19 outbreak in Spanish higher education institutions. The pandemic influenced the choice of these studies by increasing the desire to help others (33.2%), by increasing citizenship values (28.4%), and by increasing the desire to contribute to improving the situation of the country (27.5%). Women had a significantly greater influence on the increase in social values related to the practice of the profession produced by the pandemic, whereas men and the bachelor’s degree in podiatry were more influenced by salary prospects. An increased desire to help others was significantly higher among women and nursing and medical students. Podiatry and psychology were the degrees were most influenced by the pandemic, as more students decided to pursue them, something they had previously doubted, while in nursing, psychology, and medicine the pandemic reinforced their interest in pursuing the degree the most. Students personally affected by COVID-19 reported being more influenced in reconsidering their professional path and in reinforcing their desire to pursue the health-related studies.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-023-04347-5COVID-19HealthEducationHigherGraduateStudents |
| spellingShingle | Jaume-Miquel March-Amengual Irene Cambra-Badii Consolación Pineda Galán Ester Busquets-Alibés Montse Masó Aguado Anna Ramon-Aribau Lydia Feito Grande Agustí Comella Cayuela Nuria Terribas i Sala Elena Andrade-Gómez Naiara Martínez-Perez Javier Jerez-Roig The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on enrollment in undergraduate health-related studies in Spain BMC Medical Education COVID-19 Health Education Higher Graduate Students |
| title | The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on enrollment in undergraduate health-related studies in Spain |
| title_full | The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on enrollment in undergraduate health-related studies in Spain |
| title_fullStr | The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on enrollment in undergraduate health-related studies in Spain |
| title_full_unstemmed | The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on enrollment in undergraduate health-related studies in Spain |
| title_short | The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on enrollment in undergraduate health-related studies in Spain |
| title_sort | impact of the covid 19 pandemic on enrollment in undergraduate health related studies in spain |
| topic | COVID-19 Health Education Higher Graduate Students |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-023-04347-5 |
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