Dissertation
Project HOPE: a rural adolescent healthcare career development program in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic
University of Iowa
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Iowa
Summer 2025
DOI: 10.25820/etd.008093
Abstract
The present study was designed to determine the effectiveness of a Social Cognitive Career Theory-based healthcare career intervention, as well as investigate whether addressing the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare careers is more effective than a standard healthcare career-based intervention among a group of rural adolescents. Eighth grade students enrolled in a rural Midwest middle school were divided into four classrooms randomly assigned to receive the standard Project Health-care Opportunities, Preparation, and Exploration (HOPE) curriculum, or a COVID-19 pandemic-focused version. Participants responded to measures of healthcare career (HC) self-efficacy, HC outcome expectations, HC interests, as well as open ended questions regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their career interests and what careers they would like to pursue, before and after participating in Project HOPE. Repeated measures analysis of variances were conducted to analyze the quantitative data, and thematic analysis methods were used to analyze responses to the open-ended survey questions. Findings of this study indicate no significant increase in the study variables from pretest to posttest, and no differences between the standard and pandemic-focused conditions. Students reported changes in career values, increased desires to help others, or no change in career ideas due to living through the COVID-19 pandemic. This study furthers the knowledge base regarding impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on rural adolescent career development, a population that has been overlooked in the existing career development literature examining impacts and influences of the COVID-19 pandemic on vocation.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Project HOPE: a rural adolescent healthcare career development program in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic
- Creators
- Gabriel F Yanez
- Contributors
- Saba Rasheed Ali (Advisor)Megan Foley Nicpon (Committee Member)Duhita Mahatmya (Committee Member)Noel Estrada Hernández (Committee Member)
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Iowa
- Degree in
- Psychological and Quantitative Foundations (Counseling Psychology)
- Date degree season
- Summer 2025
- DOI
- 10.25820/etd.008093
- Publisher
- University of Iowa
- Number of pages
- viii, 47 pages
- Copyright
- Copyright 2025 Gabriel Farah Yanez
- Language
- English
- Date submitted
- 09/09/2024
- Description illustrations
- illustrations, tables
- Description bibliographic
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 40-47).
- Public Abstract (ETD)
The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the rural healthcare workforce. Researchers are interested in studying healthcare career interests in rural communities because individuals from these areas may be more likely to stay and work in rural locations. Adolescence is an important time to look at career development, and there is little research on impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescent career development. To address the rural healthcare workforce needs, this study investigates the effectiveness of a healthcare career education program for rural adolescents that incorporates information about the COVID-19 pandemic as well as examines how living through the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced participants career development.
This study surveyed rural Midwestern 8th graders before and after participating in a healthcare career-related development program. Students participated in either a standard version of the curriculum, or a modified COVID-19 pandemic-focused version over a six-week period. We found that participating in the program did not increase rural adolescents perceptions of their abilities to successfully complete healthcare-related tasks, their beliefs of the consequences of performing healthcare-related tasks, or their interests in aspects of healthcare-related careers. Additionally, no differences in these ratings were found between participants in the standard or COVID-19 pandemic-focused versions. This study did find that some participants reported that living through the COVID-19 pandemic changed their career values and increased their interests in pursuing a job that helps others.
- Academic Unit
- Psychological and Quantitative Foundations
- Record Identifier
- 9984948428602771
Metrics
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