Here, participants in the Voluntary Scientific Year (FWJ) report on their experiences in the Department of Ethics in Medicine at the University of Oldenburg.

Why did you decide to do a Voluntary Scientific Year?

I found out about the opportunity to apply for an FWJ through word of mouth among my friends. As I was already very interested in academic work and research, the FWJ was the ideal opportunity for me to gain an in-depth insight into student and professional life after leaving school. Besides, I wasn't quite sure which degree programme I would pursue after my A-levels anyway, as I was still worried that I would study something that I would regret afterwards.

Where are you employed and what are your areas of responsibility?

I work in the Ethics in Medicine department in the Department of Health Services Research. To be more precise, I'm involved in the "TriaDe" project, which deals with the 24-hour care of people with dementia in their own homes by an Eastern European carer. Among other things, together with my colleague, I am carrying out a discourse analysis, i.e. an analysis of newspaper articles in the leading media in recent years that have dealt with 24-hour care at home. I'm also transcribing interviews that were previously conducted by a colleague with those affected in order to better understand their perspective.
There are also courses in my department as part of the medical degree programme, which I can attend and take part in the discussions.

Why are you doing your voluntary service at the University of Oldenburg of all places?

I think there are two reasons. Firstly, the University of Oldenburg is not far from my home town, which makes it very easy for me to travel home at weekends. Secondly (and I can say this from my current perspective), there are the many events and workshops that I can attend alongside my work in my research group. The annual Science Slam is my personal recommendation.
In the end, I decided in favour of the University of Oldenburg because there are so many positive and motivating testimonials about the FWJ. :)

What challenges have you had to face so far?

At the beginning, it was clearly the orientation on campus, especially the campus week. But after just one month, I got the hang of where I could find things and where things took place. Don't be intimidated by the V03 building on Ammerländer Heerstraße. I don't know anyone who has never got lost there. :) But I also had technical problems from time to time, which I was able to solve with my colleague afterwards. The biggest challenge for me, which I honestly still struggle with, is approaching strangers in the Department or on campus in general if I have a question, for example. Nevertheless, I can say for the Department of Health Services Research that people here always smile at you when you meet them in the corridor.

What surprised you positively?

I was positively surprised that professors are not the untouchable authority figures that I had previously imagined, but people who want to engage in dialogue with others and support their staff at the end of projects. For the current "TriaDe project", I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that as an FWJ member, you are an important part of the team. Especially when it comes to interpreting the interviews, it is very beneficial for my colleagues if someone who has not studied social sciences brings a different interpretation to the interview. So don't be afraid to share your interpretations with your colleagues if they go in a completely different direction.

What do you think this year will bring you?

So far, the FWJ has helped me a lot with my plans for my academic appointment. On the one hand, there is the guest student programme, where you as an FWJ student are allowed to sit in on lectures related to your dream degree programme thanks to a broad portfolio. On the other hand, it was the conversations with a wide variety of students and people on campus who shared many of their experiences in their academic appointments with me and also gave me tips. They made me realise that after my FWJ, I would like to do a practical apprenticeship before moving on to university. The FWJ also gives me a good insight into working life, where the daily schedule is very different to that of my previous school days.

What have you learnt so far during your voluntary service?

In the last few weeks, my work in my department and the training days have taught me a lot of new and different things than I learnt at school. This includes designing a good presentation, managing literature in a programme, reading and understanding scientific texts - basically the "toolkit" you need for your studies. The teaching seminars in my department have allowed me to familiarise myself with the various areas of medical ethics using specific case studies. Through my work on the project, I have also learnt where ethical points of conflict can be identified and that it can be very difficult to find a good solution for all parties. I am most interested in the philosophy of the time structure of a good life, which includes, for example, health optimisation and whether there is a need for it at all, as different conditions prevail in every phase of life.

What advice would you give to future volunteers?

Don't be afraid to do it if the tasks and the topic of the project appeal to you. It's worth doing voluntary service after leaving school to make new contacts and get to know a new phase of life outside your home town. In terms of career planning, the prospects during the FWJ are completely different to those at school. When I was at sixth form, I would never have thought that I would want to do an apprenticeship before I went to university.
In conclusion, I can only agree with the other testimonials that the FWJ will be a unique experience for you. All the conversations and contacts with students and above all with my dear colleagues will stay with me for a long time.

Why did you decide to do a Voluntary Scientific Year?

For many people, the question of what academic appointment they want to pursue later is decided quite early on. It wasn't an easy decision for me and I started to take an interest in a career in science towards the end of my school career. However, I was only able to find out a little about this career field, despite the current advantage of being able to enquire about everything on the World Wide Web and imagine what the everyday life of a scientist looks like. As the decision as to whether becoming a scientist would be an option for me would also have had a strong influence on my choice of degree programme, I took the chance and applied for the FWJ.

Where are you employed and what are your areas of responsibility?

I am in two departments - Ethics in Medicine and Organisational Health Services Research - where I mainly work on a project that is being carried out by both departments in co-operation. The project aims to investigate the ethical, care organisation and communication aspects of a care setting for people with dementia, their relatives and Eastern European "care assistants" (scientific term "live-in helpers") in German households. A preliminary study focussing on the relatives' perspective is planned for this project, which I am currently working on. Since the preliminary study is only supposed to last one year and has been scheduled in such a way that I can be involved from the beginning, the writing of an ethics proposal, to the end, the publication, I can experience all phases of scientific work.

Why are you doing your voluntary service at the University of Oldenburg of all places?

As I was explicitly looking for a voluntary service in academia and my interests lie in the humanities and social sciences, I could only find something suitable for me at the University of Oldenburg.

What challenges have you faced so far?

I haven't had the feeling of being confronted with challenges in my departments. I've always been well instructed in my tasks so far and have lots of nice colleagues around me who I can always ask if I'm stuck on one thing or another.

However, the Covid-19 pandemic is a particular challenge, which is probably a challenge for all of us. But I'm also glad that I'm doing the FWJ at the University of Oldenburg, as we meet regularly online and have our own online meeting rooms so that we can stay in contact even during these times.

What surprised you positively?

The fact that there is a nice and relaxed working atmosphere despite the busy everyday life - at least for my colleagues - and the exciting topics at the training days.

What do you think this year will bring you?

As almost a third of the year is already over, I would first like to say that the past time has already answered my questions about choosing the right degree programme and my career aspirations. In the remaining time, I would like to prepare myself for my studies and take the opportunity to attend lectures and seminars during working hours and acquire further skills and experience for my academic career.

What have you learnt so far during your voluntary service?

I know the phases of scientific work and have also been involved in the activities to be carried out in all of the phases so far, so I am more experienced and confident with some activities or when dealing with scientific articles. I was able to familiarise myself with the methods of qualitative research and will soon learn how to apply them in practice. I was able to acquire basic knowledge in the areas of ethics in medicine and healthcare research and learnt how to use programmes that are used in a scientific context.

I also got to know a lot of very nice people. :)

What advice would you give to future volunteers?

I think it's important to have an interest in the subjects, as you need to get an overview of the research topics from the literature at the beginning if you want to take on more demanding tasks. If you only intend to bridge the year, another voluntary service position is more suitable.

Otherwise, communication is a very important aspect, as you are in contact with others a lot, both in terms of departments and on a larger level from the department to international exchange. But you should also not be discouraged, especially to prevent your own misunderstandings regarding the execution of tasks, but approach others and ask questions. I was always met with a very friendly and understanding response.