An exploratory study on the challenges faced and coping strategies used by preclinical medical students during the COVID-19 crisis.

PURPOSE: The impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 crisis on medical education includes reduced clinical training, a significant loss of learning time and a probable decline in confidence of being a doctor. These recent changes will have significant effect on the well-being of medical students and interventional support needs to be given early. This study explores the challenges faced and coping strategies used by preclinical medical students during the crisis. METHODS: A qualitative study involving 13 preclinical medical students was conducted between August and September 2020 at a medical school in Malaysia. An in-depth individual interview via Microsoft Teams (Microsoft Corp.) with semi-structured questions was conducted. The recorded interview data were thematically analyzed using the six phases of Braun and Clarke's Thematic Analysis. RESULTS: The challenges faced were identified under three themes: psychosocial impact of lockdown, significant lifestyle changes, and impact on professional progression. Meanwhile, four themes emerged in coping strategies that include behavioral strategies, re-appraisal of the uncertainties of situation, active coping mechanisms, and regulation of emotion with coping reserve. There are indications that personality traits determine strategies to cope with challenges faced during the crisis which may either lead to resilience building or experiencing burnout. CONCLUSION: The findings of the study highlighted the urgent need to develop early preventive and intervention strategies to address the mental health of medical students to mitigate stress and promote positive well-being in times of crisis.

Self-Regulated Learning Practice of Undergraduate Students in Health Professions Programs.

BACKGROUND: University students are expected to take charge of their learning without being dependent on teachers. Self-regulated learning (SRL) is the process by which students direct their learning to achieve their set targets and goals in a timely and controlled manner. This study was undertaken to explore the practice of SRL by undergraduate students from different programs in a health science focused university during COVID-19 pandemic. METHOD: Thirty-three undergraduate students of five health professions education programs were recruited to take part in focus group discussions to explore their SRL practice with online learning. Their responses were subjected to thematic analysis. RESULT: Our students appeared to practice SRL, going through the phases of forethought and goal setting, performance and self-reflection. They set goals for academic as well as personal development in the university. Academic goals like achieving target GPA or marks were achieved by following different study techniques, personal management including time management, and by creating a conducive learning environment. Personal development such as interpersonal skills, social networking was achieved through socializing and participating in extracurricular activities. The students also engaged in self-reflection and analysis of their own performance followed by designing strategies to manage the challenges they faced. CONCLUSION: Undergraduates of health professions programs appear to show evidence of practicing SRL. Although impacted by COVID-19 induced lockdown and online learning, they seem to have strategized and achieved their goals through individualized SRL processes. Promoting and fostering an atmosphere of SRL in universities to cater to the needs of the students would help them be more successful in their careers.

'Surviving to thriving': Leading health professions' education through change, crisis & uncertainty

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused huge change and uncertainty for universities, faculty, and students around the world. For many health professions' education (HPE) leaders, the pandemic has caused unforeseen crises, such as closure of campuses, uncertainty over student numbers and finances and an almost overnight shift to online learning and assessment. Methods: In this article, we explore a range of leadership approaches, some of which are more applicable to times of crisis, and others which will be required to take forward a vision for an uncertain future. We focus on leadership and change, crisis and uncertainty, conceptualising 'leadership' as comprising the three interrelated elements of leadership, management and followership. These elements operate at various levels - intrapersonal, interpersonal, organisational and global systems levels. Results: Effective leaders are often seen as being able to thrive in times of crisis - the traditional 'hero leader' - however, leadership in rapidly changing, complex and uncertain situations needs to be much more nuanced, adaptive and flexible. Conclusion: From the many leadership theories and approaches available, we suggest some specific approaches that leaders might choose in order to work with their teams and organisations through these rapidly changing and challenging times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Asia Pacific Scholar is the property of Centre for Medical Education (CenMed) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Veterinary Education during Covid-19 and Beyond-Challenges and Mitigating Approaches.

The public health implications of the Covid-19 pandemic have caused unprecedented and unexpected challenges for veterinary schools worldwide. They are grappling with a wide range of issues to ensure that students can be trained and assessed appropriately, despite the international, national, and local restrictions placed on them. Moving the delivery of knowledge content largely online will have had a positive and/or negative impact on veterinary student learning gain which is yet to be clarified. Workplace learning is particularly problematic in the current climate, which is concerning for graduates who need to develop, and then demonstrate, practical core competences. Means to optimise the learning outcomes in a hybrid model of curriculum delivery are suggested. Specific approaches could include the use of video, group discussion, simulation and role play, peer to peer and interprofessional education.

Capturing the wisdom of the crowd: health professions' educators meet at a virtual world café.

BACKGROUND: Conversations about educational challenges and potential solutions among a globally and culturally diverse group of health professions' educators can facilitate identity formation, mentoring relationships and professional network building. The COVID-19 pandemic has made it even more important to co-create and disseminate knowledge, specifically regarding online and flexible learning formats. APPROACH: Based on the principles of social learning, we combined speed mentoring and world café formats to offer a virtual Zoom™ workshop, with large and small group discussions, to reach health professions' educators across the globe. The goal was to establish a psychologically safe space for dialogue regarding adaptation to online teaching-learning formats. EVALUATION: We aimed to establish psychological safety to stimulate thought-provoking discussions within the various small groups and obtain valuable contributions from participants. From these conversations, we were able to formulate 'hot tips' on how to adapt to (sometimes new) online teaching-learning formats while nurturing teacher and student wellbeing. REFLECTION: Through this virtual workshop we realized that despite contextual differences, many challenges are common worldwide. We experienced technological difficulties during the session, which needed rapid adaptation by the organising team. We encouraged, but did not pressure, participants to use video and audio during breakout discussions as we wanted them to feel safe and comfortable. The large audience size and different time zones were challenging; therefore, leadership had to be resilient and focussed. Although this virtual format was triggered by the pandemic, the format can be continued in the future to discuss other relevant global education topics.

Development of and First Experiences with a Framework (EASI) for Options and Implementation Opportunities for Online Clinical and Communication Skills Learning.

A preparatory framework called EASI (Evaluate, Align, Student-centred, Implement and Improve) was developed with the aim of creating awareness about interim options and implementation opportunities for online Clinical and Communication Skills (CCS) learning. The framework, when applied requires faculty to evaluate current resources, align sessions to learning outcomes with student-centred approaches and to continuously improve based on implementation experiences. Using the framework, we were able to generate various types of online CCS learning sessions for implementation in a short period of time due to the recent Covid-19 pandemic. Importantly we learnt a few lessons post-implementation from both students and faculty perspective that will be used for planning and delivery of future sessions. In summary, the framework was useful for creating or redesigning CCS sessions which were disrupted during the pandemic, however post-implementation experience suggests the framework can also be used for future solutions in online CCS learning as healthcare systems and delivery are increasingly decentralised and widely distributed.