Objective:With the rising incidence of health care emergencies, there has been a considerable burden placed on health care systems worldwide. We aimed to determine the willingness and capacity of medical students in Ireland to volunteer during health care emergencies.Methods:An online, cross-sectional survey of medical students at the National University of Ireland was conducted in 2015.Results:Respondents totaling 274 completed the survey (response rate – 30.1%). Of participants, 69.0% were willing to volunteer in the event of a natural disaster and 59.1% in an event of an infectious epidemic, with altruism being the strongest motivational factor. Only a minority of students (23.7%) felt their current skill level would be useful in an emergency setting.Conclusions:Medical students express a strong interest in actively participating during health care emergencies.
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