Objective: To evaluate the impact of a Hospice trip on students' learning and development.
Materials/methods: Thirty-two final-year dental students were recruited for this anonymous questionnaire survey with a 5-digit modified Likert scale. In Part-I, the mid-term post-trip impact of student learning was characterized by 18 questions, while 33 questions were employed in Part-II to validate the immediate post-trip impact on students based on a matrix construct of Knowledge-Attitude-Practice (KAP) across Personal-Professional- Social-Spiritual (PPSS) developmental aspects. One-sample t-test was used to assess the trend against the neutral response. Associations of responses were quantified by using appropriate parametric or non-parametric tests.
Results: In Part-I, students expressed the strong perceived benefit of professional, personal and spiritual development (all p<0.001). Their knowledge/attitude/behavior have been significantly altered (p<0.001). This trip had also changed their learning appetite and personal value/priorities, alleviated the unhealthy stress in dental school, and spurred them to look beyond grade/graduation (all p<0.002). It has also produced a long-term impact on students' lives (p< 0.001). In Part II, all the responses in KAP-PPSS domains were highly positive except for one question. Students have expressed strong desire in life-long learning beyond the tangibles, patient-centered health care, work-life balance, altruistic volunteerism, and broader meaning of life; and have discounted the result-oriented learning behaviors, life of comfort/luxuries, and professional/material gains at the cost of integrity, morality, and/or higher callings. All these findings validated the Part-I responses.
Conclusions: This 3-hour Hospice fieldtrip has created significant mid-term impact on students' development in the professional, personal and spiritual realms with profound changes of not only their learning habits/behaviors, but also the life value and perspectives.