• Jayamala Patel, Tim Robbins, Harpal Randeva, Richard de Boer, Sailesh Sankar, Simon Brake, and Kiran Patel.
• University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, Coventry, UK.
• Clin Med (Lond). 2020 Nov 1; 20 (6): e244e247e244-e247.

BackgroundMedical students internationally have volunteered and stepped up to support frontline clinical teams during the COVID-19 pandemic. We know very little about the motivation of those volunteering, or their concerns in deploying to a new role. We aim to establish the reasons that medical students volunteered in one Trust and understand to their concerns.MethodsStructured survey, thematic analysis and categorisation of volunteer student perceptions.ResultsMedical students volunteered for broadly four reasons: to make a contribution, to learn, to benefit from remuneration and for an activity during the national lockdown. There were disparate concerns; however, the most common involved availability of personal protective equipment, uncertainty as to expectations and becoming infected.ConclusionsWe must recognise and applaud the motivations of our future workforce who have stepped up to support the NHS at a time of unprecedented demand. The experiences and learning gained during this period will undoubtedly shape their future medical training and careers.© 2020 Royal College of Physicians 2020. All rights reserved.

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