Project HOPE

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.