How Full Is Your Tank? A Qualitative Exploration of Faculty Volunteerism in a National Professional Development Program

Objective Professional development programs (PDPs) within academic professional organizations rely on faculty volunteers, but little is known about the volunteering process and experience. Our aim was to gain insights into the initial decision to volunteer, the experience of volunteering and the decision to re-volunteer or not (i.e. remain or leave as a volunteer). The study setting was a PDP of the Academic Pediatric Association, the Educational Scholars Program (ESP). Methods In 2014, 13 ESP faculty members participated in semi-structured phone interviews. The authors performed a general inductive analysis of the data, inductively created codes, and analyzed coded data for emergent themes that led to the creation of a model for recruiting and sustaining volunteers. Results Four themes related to the initial volunteer decision and the decision to re-volunteer or not (self-interest and altruism, reputation of the program, relevant skill set, doability), and four themes related to the experience of volunteering (emotional impact, career advancement and professional recognition, professional growth, and doability) emerged. The relationship among the themes led to the creation of a model of volunteering, involving a metaphorical volunteerism “tank” that is full when faculty initially volunteer and subsequently fills or empties as a result of dynamic interplay between the themes for each individual. Conclusions Leaders of PDPs may find our model of volunteering beneficial for enhancing the emotional and tangible benefits and minimizing the logistical issues of volunteering. This information should contribute to success in recruiting and retaining the volunteers who are essential for developing and sustaining PDPs.