Experiences and attitudes of residents and students influence voluntary service with homeless populations

OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of two programs at the University of Pittsb urgh, one that requires and one that encourages volunteer activity. In the program that requires primary care interns to spend 15 hours in a homeless clinic, we measured volunteer service after the requirement was fulfilled. In the program that encourages and provides the structure for first- and se cond-year medical students to volunteer, we assessed correlates of voluntee ring. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:When primary care interns were required to sp end time at homeless clinics, all (13/13) volunteered to work at the same c linic in subsequent years. Categorical interns without this requirement wer e less likely to volunteer (24/51; chi(2) = 12.7, p > .001). Medical studen ts who volunteered were more likely to be first-year students, have previou sly volunteered in a similar setting, have positive attitudes toward caring for indigent patients, and have fewer factors that discouraged them from v olunteering (p > .01 for all) than students who did not volunteer. CONCLUSIONS: Volunteering with underserved communities during medical schoo l and residency is influenced by previous experiences and, among medical st udents, year in school. Medical schools and residency programs have the opp ortunity to promote volunteerism and social responsibility through mentorin g and curricular initiatives.