The Impact of COVID-19 on Healthcare Students’ Academic Motivation: A Scoping Review

The COVID-19 pandemic caused major disruption to healthcare education worldwide, forcing rapid transitions to online learning, interruptions to clinical placements, and heightened uncertainty that profoundly influenced student experiences. Given that academic motivation is a key determinant of learning quality, persistence, and professional identity, this review sought to consolidate global evidence on how the pandemic affected healthcare students’ motivation to study. A systematic search of peer-reviewed literature was conducted following PRISMA-ScR guidelines, identifying studies across medicine, nursing, and allied health programs that reported on changes in motivation and the factors shaping these trajectories. Extracted data were synthesized narratively, with attention to emerging themes such as stress, anxiety, burnout, resilience, gender differences, and the role of professional identity formation. Findings revealed substantial variability: while many students reported reduced motivation due to social isolation, technological barriers, and limited clinical exposure, others described increased drive linked to professional responsibility, adaptability, and resilience. Evidence also indicated gendered differences in motivational patterns, with female students more likely to report stress-related declines. Overall, the pandemic exposed both vulnerabilities and strengths in healthcare student motivation, pointing to the value of educational strategies that promote motivation, resilience, and professional identity development among future practitioners.