A qualitative assessment of medical students' readiness for virtual clerkships at a Qatari university during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to qualitatively examine the readiness of medical students to change to virtual clerkship (VC) during the pandemic, from both the faculty and students' perspectives. METHODS: A qualitative study was conducted based on the framework of readiness to change. Focus group discussions with students, and semi-structured interviews with clinical faculty members were done using appropriate online platforms. Transcripts were then analyzed using inductive-deductive approach. RESULTS: Twelve themes emerged which are (1) Perceptions about the university's decision and its communication to students, (2) A Perceived lack of clinical experience, (3) Students' role as members of the medical team facing the pandemic, (4) Student safety, (5) Quality and design of VC and the skills it offered, (6) Belief in own ability to succeed in the VC, (7) Confidence that VC would reach its goals, (8) New enhanced learning approaches, (9) Preparing students for new types of practice in the future (10) Acquired skills, 11) Academic support and communication with faculty and college, and 12) Psychological support. Medical students showed limited readiness to undertake a virtual clerkship and not play their role as healthcare professionals during the pandemic. They perceived a huge gap in gaining clinical skills virtually and asked for a quick return to training sites. CONCLUSION: Medical students were not ready for virtual clerkships. There will be a need to integrate novel learning modalities such as patient simulations and case-based learning in order to meet future demands of the medical profession and enhance the efficiency of virtual clerkships.

A Review of Virtual Medical Student Rotations During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Their Role, Advantages, Disadvantages, and Future Prospects.

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the pause of medical clinical rotations. As a result, virtual rotations were implemented. These are a form of remote learning that seeks to mimic the clinical learning environment that students were already accustomed to. This article seeks to review the published literature to explore which specialties adapted this format, what are the advantages and disadvantages observed, determine what were the responsibilities and involvements of students participating in these rotations, how well these rotations substituted for in-person rotations, and to evaluate if there is a continued role for them after, outside of COVID-19. Virtual rotations have been developed in almost every specialty. These rotations have been developed from small centers to large universities, and are widespread throughout the United States, and in other countries as well. These rotations are targeted toward medical students, medical residents, and physician assistants and range in length from one to four weeks. Responsibilities and scope of interaction varied according to rotation; some rotations allowed patient interaction, and observation of procedures and surgeries, whereas some were purely didactic. A mixture of inpatient and outpatient involvements was seen. Advantages included saving money and time, more flexibility, increased diversity, and participation of international medical graduates. Virtual rotations participants have been invited for interviews at the participating institution's residency programs and have matched there. Disadvantages included lack of assessment of practical skills, inability to receive credit, and inability to obtain a letter of recommendation. Virtual rotations have proven to be a good substitute for in-person rotations, with most medical students seeing a need for the rotations in the future. Due to widespread development and acceptance of these rotations, it is likely that these rotations will continue.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical student education: Implementation and outcome of a virtual general surgery curriculum.

BACKGROUND: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, medical schools were forced to adapt clinical curricula. The University of Washington School of Medicine created a hybrid in person and virtual general surgery clerkship. METHODS: The third year general surgery clerkship was modified to a 4-week in person and 2-week virtual clerkship to accommodate the same number of learners in less time. All students completed a survey to assess the impact of the virtual clerkship. RESULTS: The students preferred faculty lectures over national modules in the virtual clerkship. 58.6% indicated they would prefer the virtual component before the in-person experience. There was no change from previous years in final grades or clerkship exam scores after this hybrid curriculum. CONCLUSIONS: If the need for a virtual general surgery curriculum arises again in the future, learners value this experience at the beginning of the clerkship and prefer faculty lectures over national modules.

An Orthopaedic Virtual Clinical Clerkship for Visiting Medical Students: Early Successes and Future Implications.

OBJECTIVE: The visiting orthopaedic clerkship is viewed by both students and program directors as an important part of the orthopaedic surgery residency application process, despite being criticized as costly and inefficient. Restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic prevented students from participating in in-person clerkships at institutions other than at their home programs, necessitating a virtual replacement for the in-person orthopaedics clerkship experience. It remains unclear how the virtual clerkships will affect the application process this year, and moving forward. We describe and review our institution's initial experience with a virtual orthopaedic clerkship. We hypothesize that students would view the virtual clerkship as valuable, and that students would see a role for such clerkships going forward. DESIGN: A virtual orthopaedic surgery clerkship was created and students were invited to enroll. Thirty-one 4th-year medical students participated. Each clerkship included 8 two-hour sessions. Each session was moderated by a faculty member, and participants included only medical students. Students presented virtual cases, which provided the basis for the discussion and education. At the conclusion of each clerkship, students were given an anonymous survey assessing various aspects of the clerkship. RESULTS: Twenty-seven students responded to the survey. Overall, 15 students rated the experience as outstanding, 11 excellent, and 1 good. Twenty-two students saw a role for virtual clerkships moving forward, and five students did not see a role moving forward. Student reported strengths of the clerkship included direct faculty interaction, structured curriculum, and student-centered discussions. Lack of hands-on experience was cited as the biggest weakness. CONCLUSIONS: Students valued the opportunity for a virtual clerkship, and most could envision a role for such virtual clerkships moving forward. We suggest that virtual clerkships may be a cost-effective and useful tool in helping both students and programs navigate the residency selection process.