ABSTRACT
Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic had far-reaching effects on medical education. Innovations in virtual education attempted to fill the gaps. In our department, a summer virtual medical student program was developed, run, and evaluated. Method(s): Summer evening sessions lasting 1.5 hours were run over Zoom for medical students across the country in 2020 and 2021;11 sessions were run in 2020 and 8 in 2021. Advertising was done via social media and with emails to program directors and ear, nose, throat (ENT) interest groups. Topics were determined by volunteer attendings, residents, and participants located throughout the United States. Postcourse evaluations were used to improve the course. Result(s): Fourteen attendings and 12 residents/fellows from 11 otolaryngology programs presented. A total of 204 students participated;33 (16%) were local students, and 118 (56%) were fourth-year students. In 2020, 14 students made presentations, and 32 did in 2021. About 25 students typically attended each session. Of the participants, 72.7% registered in preparation of their ENT subinternships, 47.3% for the chance to present themselves, 45.5% for curiosity, 36.4% for career exploration, and 18.2% on advisement of a mentor. At the end of the session, 69.1% were most interested in general ENT, 54.5% in pediatric ENT, and 49% in laryngology or head and neck surgery. Students were most interested in learning about the residency application process (mean 9.3/10) and how to be successful during clinical rotations (mean 9.2/10) and in clinical exam maneuvers (mean 9.2/10). Conclusion(s): A virtual noncredit evening course about clinical otolaryngology can attract medical student participation and is a viable way of introducing students to our specialty.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Measuring pediatric odor detection in a COVID-19-impacted context is important. Our goal was to determine whether the Pediatric Smell Wheel (PSW) can be used effectively in this clinical setting. Method(s): Consecutive patients at a pediatric otolaryngology clinic who were aged 5-17 years were recruited. Demographics including gender, race, use of nasal topical medications, previous nasal surgery, and previous COVID-19 infection were collected. Each child performed a test of their sense of smell using the PSW (Sensonics International) under direct supervision, and scores were compared. Result(s): Forty-three children were included;mean age was 9.1 years (95% CI, 8.0-10.1);19 (44.2%) were female and 24 (55.8%) male. Thirteen (30.2%) used nasal sprays, 10 (23.2%) had undergone adenoidectomy, and 4 (9.3%) had other nasal surgery. Twenty (46.5%) had a previous COVID-19 infection. Mean and median PSW score out of 11 was 7 (95% CI, 6.4-7.7), ranging from 2 to 10. There was no significant difference in scores based on age, gender, race, use of nasal topicals, previous nasal surgery, or previous COVID-19 infection. Children were able to perform the task as directed. Percentage correct for each odorant on the PSW ranged from 86% for identifying the onion scent to 27.9% for identifying the popcorn scent. Cronbach alpha was 0.54, and deleting any individual item did not improve it above 0.57, indicating low internal consistency of the PSW. Conclusion(s): During the COVID-19 pandemic, children performed more poorly identifying odors on the PSW than previously reported. The reliability of the PSW may not be adequate in today's context.