Democratizing Access to Neurosurgical Medical Education: National Efforts in a Medical Student Training Camp During Coronavirus Disease 2019

Abstract

Background National medical student surveys amidst the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)–driven subinternship cancellations have demonstrated the need for supplemental, standardized subspecialty medical education, mentorship, and career planning nationally. We have presented the first live, cross-institutional virtual medical student subspecialty training camp to deliver standardized neurosurgical educational content to medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic, and its results on medical student anxiety and perceptions of neurosurgery. Methods The online training camp used a video conferencing platform that was open to all medical students. A post-training camp survey was administered. Results A total of 305 medical students registered for the event from 107 unique U.S. medical schools. Of the 305 medical students, 108 reported intending to apply to neurosurgery residency in 2021. The top medical student objectives for the training camp were program networking and mentorship. Of the 305 participants, 121 (39.7%) completed the post-training survey. Of the respondents, 65.0% reported improved neurosurgical knowledge, 79.8% reported decreased anxiety about subinternships and interviews, 82.5% reported increased enthusiasm about neurosurgery, and 100% desired a future annual virtual training camp because of the increased accessibility and decreased cost. This was especially important for students at institutions without home subspecialty programs and those with financial burdens. Conclusions COVID-19–driven innovations in medical education have accelerated changes that may have long been necessary. This virtual structure improved resource usage and scalability compared with in-person training, maintained social distancing, and democratized access to standardized, specialized content not often available through traditional medical curricula. Even as a supplement to in-person events, the virtual training camp model could be implemented by national medical societies, which might significantly increase medical students' preparedness for, and education in, neurosurgery and other subspecialties.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global neurosurgical education: a systematic review

“…In order to maintain neurosurgical education and training, there was a shift to online-based education. In the USA, webinar-type online platforms such as Zoom have been utilised for lectures and conferences [16,25], mentoring sessions [28] and surgery live-streaming [29]. In the operating theatre, camera-embedded surgical lights were routed to an in-room audio-visual interface to keep residents in contact with the operating room [14,29].…”

“…This enabled active learning, thus better educational outcomes [29]. Virtual conferences through video-streaming platforms have improved medical student access to educational content and students from different countries could attend free of charge-requiring only an internet connection [28]. However, virtual reality was trialled as part of a neurosurgical elective in the Case Western Reserve University [5].…”

“…Whilst neurosurgical rotations were cancelled in some departments, in university hospitals, there have been new initiatives to improve medical student learning, enthusiasm and experience [29]. This included the aforementioned live streaming of surgical procedures via Zoom but also a training camp aimed at medical students [28]. This covered aspects ranging from mentorship, to networking and interview preparation tips [28].…”

“…This included the aforementioned live streaming of surgical procedures via Zoom but also a training camp aimed at medical students [28]. This covered aspects ranging from mentorship, to networking and interview preparation tips [28]. The enthusiasm related to the event was reflected in the positive feedback received: 100% of students desired that the event run annually, as it decreased the concerns associated with sub-internships and the interview process (79.8% of participants) [28].…”

“…This covered aspects ranging from mentorship, to networking and interview preparation tips [28]. The enthusiasm related to the event was reflected in the positive feedback received: 100% of students desired that the event run annually, as it decreased the concerns associated with sub-internships and the interview process (79.8% of participants) [28]. It also developed neurosurgical knowledge in 65.0% of students [28].…”