A Virtual Curriculum to Increase Exposure to Oncologic Subspecialties for Undergraduate Medical Students.

Medical student exposure to oncology is imperative given the prevalence of cancer, growing need for survivorship care, and ever-evolving therapies. Our institution offers a Cancer Care Elective for undergraduate medical students focused on clinical shadowing, but the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated completely redesigning a virtual alternative. In this study, we utilize a post-elective survey to 1) assess whether the novel virtual elective effectively promoted student learning and 2) identify which components were most impactful. We created an entirely virtual, semester-long course with structured mentorship, subspecialty panels, physician-led didactics, and patient exposure. Students attended multidisciplinary tumor boards and presented on oncologic topics. A post-elective survey assessed the course's impact on students' knowledge and the perceived value of each elective component. Of the 29 enrolled students, 12 responded to our survey (41%). Most students reported that the elective highly enhanced their understanding of medical (67%), surgical (75%), and pediatric (66%) oncology. The highest rated didactic involved patients discussing their cancer journeys, with 80% of students reporting that this session enhanced their understanding of patient-physician collaboration. Students reported that physician mentorship helped them better understand oncology (90%) and promoted interest in pursuing an oncologic career (100%). This study demonstrates that our virtual Cancer Care Elective was effective at increasing student understanding of oncology in practice. The results also suggest that patient exposure and physician mentorship are particularly educational and encouraging.

International medical electives during and after the COVID-19 pandemic - current state and future scenarios: a narrative review.

BACKGROUND: International medical electives are an important and popular component of the academic curriculum in many medical schools and universities worldwide. The purpose of abroad electives is to provide medical students with an opportunity to gain a better understanding of education and healthcare in an international context. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, has substantially changed the international elective landscape. Travel restrictions, closures of international elective programs and the expansion of virtual methods for education caused a widespread disruption to abroad electives. A comprehensive analysis with regard to other consequences for abroad electives, however, has not been done before. Thus, we sought to a) summarize the current transformation of the international medical elective and b) to address potential challenges for post-pandemic international medical electives. METHODS: The methodology employed is a multidisciplinary narrative review of the published and grey literature on international electives during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. RESULTS: Students worldwide had electives postponed or canceled. Apart from evident immediate pandemic-related consequences (such as the substantial decline in global electives and impaired elective research opportunities for educators), there are other several problems that have received little attention during the last two years. These include challenges in the elective application process, poorly-understood consequences for host institutions, and growing global (ethical) disparities that are likely to increase once elective programs will gradually re-open. There is ample evidence that the post-pandemic elective landscape will be characterized by increasing elective fees, and a more competitive seat-to-applicant ratio. Ethical problems for international electives arising from an unequal global vaccine distribution will pose an additional challenge to students and elective coordinators alike. CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic transformed the international medical elective landscape in an unprecedented way, and future generations of medical students will face a series of additional challenges when applying for global medical electives.

Medical students from German-speaking countries on abroad electives in Africa: destinations, motivations, trends and ethical dilemmas.

BACKGROUND: International medical electives are one the highlights of medical training. Literature about international electives is scarce, and understanding what made a student choose one destination over another is unclear. Many medical students based in Europe travel to Africa each year for their elective, however, students' expectations and motivations are yet largely unexplored. METHODS: To gain insights into the factors driving students to travel to Africa, we analyzed two large international elective databases based in Germany. We reviewed elective testimonies and extrapolated geographical data as well as the choice of discipline for electives completed in Africa. Based on pre-defined categories, we also investigated students' motivations and expectations. RESULTS: We identified approximately 300 elective reports from medical students from German-speaking countries who chose to travel to Africa for their elective. Students commonly reported destinations in Southern and East Africa, with the Republic of South Africa and Tanzania being the most frequently selected destinations. Surgical disciplines were the most commonly reported choice. Diverse motivations were identified, including the desire to improve knowledge and clinical examination skills. A large proportion of students reported a link between destination choice and the potential to partake in surgical procedures not feasible at home; whether these surgeries were not or no longer practiced at home, or whether students could not partake due to level of training, was not ascertainable from the data. A trend-analysis revealed a growing interest in travelling to Africa for electives within the last 15 years. We observed a sharp decline in reports in 2020, a phenomenon most likely related to SARS-CoV-2-related travel restrictions. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that medical electives in Africa are commonly reported by medical students from German-speaking countries, with diverse motivations for the choice of destination. A non-neglectable proportion of students identified the possibility to engage in surgical procedures as one of the main reasons for choosing Africa. This poses a series of ethical dilemmas, and well-structured pre-departure trainings may be a solution to this. The recent dip in overseas electives should be seen as a unique opportunity for medical schools and universities to restructure their international elective programs.