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Medical Volunteering Experiences of Korean Medicine Students: Developing an HSS-Based Pre-Education Program

Article information

J Korean Med. 2025;46(1):123-138
Publication date (electronic) : 2025 March 01
doi : https://doi.org/10.13048/jkm.25009
So Yeong Park1,§orcid_icon, Ju Yeob Kim1,§orcid_icon, Min Jeong Shin1orcid_icon, Seon Kyoung Kim2,orcid_icon
1Department of Korean medicine, Dong-Eui University College of Korean Medicine, Busan, Republic of Korea
2Department of Medical Education, Dong-Eui University College of Korean Medicine, Busan, Republic of Korea
Correspondence to: Seon Kyoung Kim, Department of Medical Education, Dong-Eui University College of Korean Medicine, 52–57, Yangjeong-ro, Busanjin-gu, Busan 47227, Republic of Korea, Tel: +82-10-9016-2308, Fax: +82-51-890-3333, E-mail: pietas@deu.ac.kr
§

The authors contributed equally to this work as co-first authors.

Received 2025 January 25; Revised 2025 February 12; Accepted 2025 February 21.

Abstract

Objectives

This paper examines the experiences of Korean medicine students in medical volunteer work, their pre-education experiences, and areas for improvement in volunteer activities. By analyzing these aspects based on the educational objectives of Health Systems Science (HSS), this study proposes a pre-education program designed to enhance the effectiveness of medical volunteer work.

Methods

Focus Group Discussions (FGD) were conducted with 12 students from the Korean Medicine College. The students were divided into two groups by academic year, and each group participated in a 150-minute session. The discussions were analyzed using consensual qualitative research methods.

Results

Students recognized the value of medical volunteer work in promoting the health of underprivileged community members, fostering teamwork among volunteers, enhancing medical expertise, gaining practical experience, and cultivating benevolent mindset. Achievements reported included mental growth, experiencing the efficacy of Korean medicine, motivation for academic learning, practical training experience, improved communication with patients, and enhanced teamwork skills.

Conclusions

This study proposes a HSS-based pre-education program for medical volunteer work, demonstrating the potential to integrate basic sciences, clinical medicine, and health systems science within Korean medicine education. This approach aims to foster holistic, system-based medical professionals, with further research needed to validate its effectiveness.

Keywords: Medical Volunteers ; Educational Program Development ; Korean Medicine ; HSS ; Medical Education
Fig. 1

The conceptual framework of Health Systems Science25)

It is a picture showing the sub-areas of korean health system science established by the korean medical university and medical graduate association in 2021. These sub-areas were defined in three areas: core area, basic competency area, and connection area according to the actual situation of domestic medical education.

Demographic Characteristics of Participants

Themes Identified Through Qualitative Research Analysis

Mock Pre-Education Program*

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Appendices

Article information Continued

Fig. 1

Fig. 1

The conceptual framework of Health Systems Science25)

It is a picture showing the sub-areas of korean health system science established by the korean medical university and medical graduate association in 2021. These sub-areas were defined in three areas: core area, basic competency area, and connection area according to the actual situation of domestic medical education.

Table 1

Demographic Characteristics of Participants

No Grade Age Gender
1 Pre-KM* 30 Female
2 Pre-KM 1 20 Male
3 Pre-KM 2 21 Female
4 Pre-KM 2 21 Male
5 KM 1 23 Male
6 KM 1 21 Female
7 KM 2 37 Male
8 KM 2 24 Female
9 KM 3 23 Female
10 KM 3 23 Female
11 KM 4 26 Female
12 KM 4 24 Female
*

Korean Medicine

Table 2

Themes Identified Through Qualitative Research Analysis

Main theme Subtheme
1. Progress and contents of medical volunteer activities

  1. Progress and contents of medical volunteer activities
2. Concept and value of medical volunteer work

  1. Definition of ‘volunteer work’: helping others while also enhancing one's own value

  2. Value of medical volunteer work :

    • - Promoting the health of underprivileged community members

    • - Encouraging collaboration among volunteers

    • - Strengthening medical expertise

    • - Fostering a benevolent mindset
3. Motivation and purpose of participating in medical volunteer work

  1. Motivation and purpose

    • - Building communication and rapport with patients

    • - Promoting Korean medicine techniques

    • - Personal growth

    • - Helping others

  2. Interpretation of prior research results : focused on knowledge and personal growth
4. Experiences and achievements in medical volunteer work

  1. Sense of accomplishment and mental growth through volunteering

  2. Experiencing the effectiveness of Korean medicine and gaining motivation for academics

  3. Improved communication skills through interactions with patients

  4. Enhancement of teamwork skills among volunteers
5. Pre-Education experiences and improvement needs

  1. Pre-education in regular school classes

  2. Informal pre-education at the club level

  3. Suggestions for improvement: formal pre-education at the school level
6. Environmental improvement needs

  1. Poor clinical environment: need for improved medical supplies, electronic charts, and diverse patient groups.

  2. Poor living conditions

  3. Selection process for volunteer work regions and partner organizations

Table 3

Mock Pre-Education Program*

Session Program Name Learning Content Evaluation Method
1 Introduction to Health Systems Science (HSS) Orientation: A lecture on the background and development of Health Systems Science.
Role and Impact of Medical Volunteer Work: Consider the role and impact of medical volunteer activities from the perspective of patient, family, and community.
2 Change agency, management, and advocacy practice Discussion: Conduct a discussion among participating students to identify potential improvements in current medical volunteer practices, develop solutions, and identify obstacles and resolutions.
Review and Feedback: Review and refine students’ discussion points through a Q&A session with the supervising professor.		 Report summarizing discussion content
3 Value in health care practice Lecture on Quality and Safety: Provide a lecture on the correlation between healthcare quality, principles of patient safety, and clinical outcomes.
Safety Incident Management: Deliver a lecture on the importance of identifying, reporting, and analyzing patient safety incidents.
Safety in Medical Volunteer Work: Educate students on potential safety incidents and precautions during clinical activities in medical volunteer work.
Medical Waste Management: Discuss the processes for handling medical waste and preventive measures for related safety incidents.
4 Acupuncture practice for medical volunteer work Acupuncture Knowledge and Techniques: Provide a lecture on the knowledge and clinical skills related to acupuncture that students can utilize during medical volunteer activities.
Practice: Conduct practical sessions among students based on the lecture content.		 Reflection session (presentation)
5 Herbal medicine practice for medical volunteer work Common Prescriptions: Teach students about commonly used prescriptions, their composition, efficacy, and related case studies for application in medical volunteer work.
Practice: Conduct practical sessions among students based on the lecture content.		 Reflection session (presentation)
6 Supervising Professor Seminar Q&A with Supervising Professor: Hold a Q&A session between the supervising professor and students regarding various aspects of the medical volunteer activity process. Complete the Pre-Questionna(표로ire
7 Understanding healthcare structure and process with teaming practice Case-Based Simulation: Set up hypothetical patient cases and conduct practice-based learning sessions among students.
Final Rehearsal: Simulate a clinical environment as a final rehearsal before the medical volunteer work.		 Report summarizing feedback from the simulation
8 Leadership development Reflection and Evaluation: Share achievements and experiences from medical volunteer activities, and reflect on the personal significance of the work.
Satisfaction Evaluation: Assess the satisfaction level of the medical volunteer activities.		 Create a portfolio based on shared content
*

1st session: Familiarize with the fundamental concepts of Health Systems Science.

2nd and 3rd sessions: Supplement the educational objectives lacking in previous pre-education programs.

4th–6th sessions: Develop clinical skills and participate in a Q&A process.

7th and 8th sessions: Conduct sessions before and after the medical volunteer activities, respectively.