RESUMEN
The COVID-19 pandemic led to a suspension of visiting student rotations across the United States. For senior medical students applying into surgical subspecialties, such as otolaryngology, these away rotations serve a vital role in the residency application process. Prior to the pandemic, there was not a virtual alternative to in-person visiting student rotations for applicants. We developed a replicable and expandable program focused on helping prospective otolaryngology applicants (fourth-year medical students) gain exposure to the experiences typically offered via in-person rotations. The goal was to improve otolaryngology-specific knowledge and to help applicants demonstrate specific program interest, without the financial and logistical challenges associated with in-person away rotations.
RESUMEN
When in-person experiences were taken away from medical students and residency applicants during the COVID-19 pandemic, institutions had to pivot to virtual experiences. We present here a comprehensive overview of virtual engagement for medical students. As we increasingly embrace virtual opportunities, it may be possible to continue utilizing these programs for many years to come.
RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic outpatient medicine has drastically been altered how it is delivered. This time period likely represents the largest volume of telehealth visits in the United States health care history. Telehealth presents unique challenges within each subspecialty, and pediatric otolaryngology is no different. This retrospective review was designed to evaluate our division of pediatric otolaryngology's experience with telehealth during the COVID19 pandemic. METHODS: This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. All telehealth and face-to-face visits for the month of April 2020 completed by the Pediatric Otolaryngology Division were reviewed. A survey, utilizing both open-ended questions and Likert scaled questions was distributed to the 16 pediatric otolaryngology providers in our group to reflect their experience with telehealth during the 1-month study period. RESULTS: In April, 2020 our outpatient clinic performed a total of 877 clinic visits compared to 2260 clinic visits in April 2019. A total of 769 (88%) were telehealth visits. Telemedicine with video comprised 523 (68%) and telephone only comprised 246 (32%). There were 0 telehealth visits in April 2019. Interpretive services were required in 9.3% (N = 211) clinic visits in April 2019 and 7.5% (N = 66) of clinic visits in April 2020. The survey demonstrated a significant difference (P < .00002) in provider's anticipated telehealth experience (mean 3.94, 95% CI [3.0632, 4.8118] compared to their actual experience after the study period (mean 7.5, 95% CI [7.113, 7.887]. CONCLUSIONS: Despite low initial expectations for telehealth, the majority of our providers felt after 1 month of use that telehealth would continue to be a valuable platform post-pandemic clinical practice. Limited physical exam, particularly otoscopy, nasal endoscopy, and nasolaryngoscopy present challenges. However, with adequate information and preparation for the parents and for the physician some of the obstacles can be overcome.