Volunteering among pre-clinical medical students: Study of its association with academic performance using institutional data

Background: Participating in volunteering activities during students’ higher education experience is becoming more commonplace. Studies have noted that volunteering has a positive impact on the academic performance of undergraduate medical students. However, most of these studies rely on self-reported data like surveys, interviews, and journals. In this study, we leverage actual institutional data to examine the relationship between volunteering and academic performance among medical students in the pre-clinical phases of the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) program. The current study also explores the factors that might influence students’ volunteering behaviours. Methods: Analysis based on retrospective data was conducted in the College of Medicine at the Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Three years of volunteering records for three cohorts of undergraduate medical students enrolled in the MBBS program between 2016 – 2018 were reviewed and analyzed to complete this study. The correlation between the annual Grade Point Average (GPA) and volunteering was studied across the three cohorts in each study year. Results: Analysis of 153 undergraduate medical students' volunteering records revealed a significant positive relationship between the annual GPA and the number of volunteering in year two. The correlation was insignificant in year one, year three, and across the three cohorts. Conclusions: The association between academic performance and volunteering among undergraduate medical students appeared to be positive. However, this relationship differs across the pre-clinical study years and is likely influenced by factors associated with volunteering that might influence GPA.