Medical Education, Pre- and Post-Pandemic Era: A Review Article

Abstract

A pandemic is the worldwide outbreak and spread of a disease. Although pandemics of influenza have occurred rarely, approximately once every few decades in more than three centuries, the outbreaks of H1N1 and H5N1 influenza, the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and most recently, the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), have necessitated the institution of protective and preventive measures such as school closure and mandatory quarantine of infected people, as social distancing is considered to be the most effective preventative strategy until the development of a vaccine, treatment, or both. The current pandemic has also resulted in a transformation in medical education for both undergraduate and postgraduate medical students. Clinical rotations for undergraduates have been suspended all over the world; inter-hospital residency rotations and combined teaching sessions have also been curtailed until further notice. During this most recent pandemic, a number of medical schools have immediately converted their whole clinical curriculum into online formats. Similarly, educational and clinical assessments have been converted into online assessments. However, as the pandemic eras tend to recur over time and epidemics will continue to break out, medical students and healthcare workers will remain susceptible to contagion. Hence, we need to adopt a new educational system that would be safe and sustainable in the long run.

Experience of a Final Year Medical Student: Pre- and Post-COVID-19 Era

“…Creating a combined method by including both the traditional direct-in person learning with online virtual learning will offer the best of both methods individually and will be more durable and sustainable in the long run. 13 To sum up, being a final year medical student in the past year, I could experience both the pre and post-COVID changes in the medical and personal aspects of a medical student and an aspiring doctor. However hard I had planned to make the best of the clinical year, the unforeseen happened.…”

Virtual medical student education and recruitment during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Selection of the communication platform was based on cost, availability, ease of use and ability to achieve interactivity. Drawbacks to all modalities included reliability of security due to HIPAA considerations, fidelity of internet connectivity, and quality of image sharing [12] . Additional modalities of communication during virtual education included use of social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter), standard email exchange and, in some instances, app-based or SMS text messaging.…”

“…Institutions turned to a variety of options to make up for lost time in the operating room including the use of high-quality pre-recorded videos available on YouTube (YouTube, San Bruno, CA) or other institution-sponsored websites. Other programs coordinated live-streaming videos of vascular surgical cases with opportunity for real-time teaching and exchange with students [ 7 , 12 ].…”

Challenges of Distance Education Assessment in the Health Professions during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Philippine Reflection in the Rapid Review of International Context

“…A paradigm shift was necessary for students to safely continue their education amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. 6,7 The pandemic has affected the mode of instructional delivery, curriculum, educational outcomes, teaching methodologies, and the assessments administered to students. 2,8 Higher education institutions (HEIs) must take the initiative in creating an alternative model of implementation without compromising the attainment of learning outcomes.…”