How the COVID-19 Pandemic Has Affected Cardiology Fellow Training

Abstract

With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, resources have been reallocated and elective cases have been deferred to minimize the spread of the disease, altering the workflow of cardiac catheterization laboratories across the country. This has in turn affected the training experience of cardiology fellows, including diminished procedure numbers and a narrow breadth of cases as they approach the end of their training before joining independent practice. It has also taken a toll on the emotional well-being of fellows as they see their colleagues, loved ones, patients or even themselves struggling with COVID-19, with some succumbing to it. The aim of this opinion piece is to focus attention on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on fellows and their training, challenges faced as they transition to practicing in the real world in the near future and share the lessons learned thus far. We believe that this is an important contribution and would be of interest not only to cardiology fellows-in-training and cardiologists but also trainees in other procedural specialties.

Medical Knowledge Acquisition during a Pandemic: Pediatric Subspecialty in-Training Examination and Board Certification Exam Passing Rate

“…Though pediatric patients were not primarily affected by COVID-19 early in the pandemic, complications arising from infection did result in respiratory failure and cardiac disease. Several studies noted an increase in pediatric ICU admissions related to COVID-19 infection and MIS-C. 9 , 15 , 16 PC and PCCM fellows who were actively involved in the care of these patients may have spent more time clinically and in didactic sessions focusing on the diagnosis and care of COVID-19 patients, rather than program core content, thus leading to lower SITE scores during the pandemic. The increased clinical demands of critically ill patients may have also led to less time for outside or independent study.…”

Reshaping care in the aftermath of the pandemic. Implications for cardiology health systems

“…On average, it is estimated that more than 95% of cardiology fellows were affected by a substantial change in their training programs [ [31] , [32] , [33] ] causing a significant impact on their training, mainly regarding clinical activities. A suspension of clinical rotations and face-to-face sessions were paralleled by a decrease in the number of procedures fellows needed to develop a particular skill [ [33] , [34] , [35] ].…”

“…As is the case with the emergence of new challenges, there were some unique opportunities to review topics not often used in standard practice. Thrombolysis for acute coronary syndromes (dosage, indications, complications) [ 33 ] or discussion on concepts of end-of-life ethics and mechanical ventilation strategies.…”

“…Webinars became one of the leading educational tools [ 32 , 33 ]. Some of their advantages are: accessibility from anywhere in the world, without the need to travel, lower costs compared to a face-to-face meeting, and they can be recorded for later consultation by attendees [ 35 ].…”

Perceptions of resident physicians on the development of the cardiology resident program during the COVID-19 pandemic in Lima, Peru

“…Diversos estudios han mostrado la afectación de la formación de los programas de segunda especialización en medicina, principalmente desde la perspectiva de la reducción del volumen, siendo limitados los estudios que lo hayan abordado desde la perspectiva de los residentes e incluyendo el rol de las universidades en su ámbito formativo (11)(12)(13)(14) ; por lo que el objetivo del presente estudio es caracterizar las percepciones sobre el soporte formativo y apoyo brindado a los residentes de cardiología de la ciudad de Lima por las universidades y las sedes docentes durante la pandemia de la COVID-19. La finalidad es conocer desde la perspectiva del médico residente, las características del efecto sobre su formación de un contexto de pandemia a fin de mitigar los efectos negativos de futuras situaciones de emergencia sanitaria.…”