Authors (including presenting author) :
Fung PM(1)
Affiliation :
(1)Department of Orthopaedic and Traumatology, the Duchess of Kent Children's Hospital at Sandy Bay
Keyword 1: :
Plaster Workshop
Keyword 2: :
Nurture Next Generation
Keyword 3: :
Healthcare Career Interest
Introduction :
With increasing global concern around healthcare workforce shortages, there is growing recognition of the need to engage and inspire future professionals early. Literature review was conducted showing structured exposure to healthcare environments can shape young individuals’ understanding of clinical roles and influence their career aspirations. In procedural specialties like orthopaedics, hands-on learning can offer unique opportunity to build practical awareness and spark their interest. Volunteer programs conducted by Patient Resource Centre, is a meaningful platform to allow them to observe healthcare settings, but they often have limited exposure to clinical roles and procedures can be difficult to grasp from observation alone. By integrating hands-on plaster learning into the existing volunteer framework, department can enhance educational value while contributing to long-term professional inspiration.
Objectives :
The objective of the program was to design, deliver, and evaluate interactive plaster workshop that provides hospital youth volunteers with basic knowledge of orthopaedic plaster, while fostering their interest in healthcare and enhancing understanding of hospital operations.
Methodology :
To achieve these outcomes, a structured two-hour plaster workshop was implemented. The session was divided into two main components: 15-minute lecture, 15-minute demonstration and 90-minutes hands-on plaster application. The lecture introduced basic orthopaedic concepts, including the purpose of plaster application, materials used, types of fractures, and safety considerations. Visual demonstrations and short videos were used to enhance understanding. The practical component provided opportunity to apply plaster among volunteers under supervision. Knowledge test was conducted before and after the session to assess learning improvement. Satisfaction survey measured enjoyment, clarity, and organization, while career impact survey assessed changes in interest and perception toward healthcare. All instruments were anonymous to encourage honest responses. Post-workshop data was analyzed to evaluate the effectiveness and inform recommendations for future iterations.
Result & Outcome :
Upon completion of program, participants are expected to have knowledge enhancement, measured by comparing pre- and post-test scores, with a target of achieving at least 20% improvement in mean scores following the workshop. Second, participant satisfaction, aiming for ≥80% of volunteers to rate their experience as “agree” or “strongly agree” on overall satisfaction question. Third, career impact, targeting ≥70% of participants reporting increased interest in pursuing healthcare-related career or a better understanding of orthopaedic roles after attending the session. These outcome were selected to provide a balanced assessment across cognitive (knowledge), affective (attitude), and experiential (engagement) domains. Additional qualitative feedback was also collected to identify areas for improvement, ensuring that the project could be refined for sustainability and replication in future cycles. The success of project was evaluated using quantitative and qualitative measures by SPSS. Knowledge test showed a significant improvement in learning outcomes, with 21.5% increase in mean scores, p-value < 0.001. This confirmed that participants gained meaningful knowledge through the workshop. In satisfaction survey, over 65% of participants strongly agreed that the session was interesting, clear, and well-organized, while 73.9% strongly agreed that the hands-on activity enhanced their understanding. These findings reflect high engagement and instructional effectiveness. In career impact survey, 91.3% of volunteers reported improved understanding of orthopaedic staff roles and greater interest in healthcare careers, exceeding the target of 70%. The overwhelmingly positive feedback highlights the project’s success in inspiring young individuals and strengthening their connection to the hospital environment.
