Challenges to Medical Education on Surgical Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic
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COMMENTARY
Challenges to Medical Education on Surgical Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic Jonathan Schaffir 1
&
Katherine Strafford 1 & Brett Worly 1 & Amber Traugott 2
# International Association of Medical Science Educators 2020
Introduction The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic to the USA in March of 2020 had a profound and unforeseen effect on education of American medical students. Students and faculty in the middle of academic programs were given little advance notice that learning would be disrupted. As the epidemic spread, concerns grew for medical systems becoming overwhelmed with new cases and needing to conserve personal protective equipment (PPE). Medical schools moved to cancel classes and restrict students from participating in clinical activities or even setting foot in their affiliated medical centers. With recommendations for social distancing and state-ordered mandates to stay at home, students were additionally forbidden from getting together in groups and had to remain physically separated from anyone other than immediate family. Previous disruptions in medical education have been described in the literature, generally in the forms of natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes [1–3]. Unlike these events, several factors made the COVID-19 pandemic unprecedented. The disruption was on a global scale—not just affecting one medical school or one community, but institutions across the country and around the world. Solutions that helped to circumvent the effects of financial failures and natural disasters, such as the distribution of students to other institutions or programs would not apply in this case [1–4]. The length of the disruption is likely to be greater than that for other examples as well. Floods recede and earthquakes cease, with recovery linked to the time it takes to rebuild and redevelop * Jonathan Schaffir [email protected] 1
Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, 395 West 12th Avenue, 5th floor, Columbus, OH, USA
2
Department of Surgery, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, 395 West 12th Avenue, 6th floor, Columbus, OH, USA
infrastructure. In the case of the current pandemic, effects on student participation will likely last until the threat of infection abates, which may not occur until a reliable and effective vaccination program is in place, an intervention predicted to require a year or more. For other disasters, there was little or no risk to students beyond the initial insult; students suffered from emotional and financial trauma following natural disasters but did not remain at risk of physical harm. In those cases, students were often enlisted to help with recovery efforts and participate in clinical care, giving them a sense of purpose and a useful hands-on education. In the pandemic scenario, students are isolated and restricted from participation due to health concerns and the need to preserve resources for more extensively trained providers. Nevertheless, some lessons learned from responses
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