Medical Student Concerns Relating to Neurosurgery Education During COVID-19

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has created significant obstacles within medical education. For medical students interested in pursuing neurosurgery as a specialty, the educational policies surrounding COVID-19 have resulted in unique challenges. The present study used a nationwide survey to identify the concerns of medical students interested in pursuing neurosurgery during the COVID-19 pandemic.-METHODS: Students who had previously registered for medical student neurosurgery training camps were sent an online Qualtrics survey requesting them to assess how the COVID-19 pandemic was affecting their neurosurgical education. The Pearson c 2 test and post hoc pairwise Fisher exact test were used for analysis of categorical variables, and the 2tailed paired Student t test was used for continuous variables.-RESULTS: The survey was distributed to 852 medical students, with 127 analyzed responses. Concerns regarding conferences and networking opportunities (63%), clinical experience (59%), and board examination scores (42%) were most frequently cited. Of the third-year medical students, 76% reported ‡1 cancelled or postponed neurosurgery rotation. On average, students were more likely to take 1 year off from medical school after than before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, measured from 0 to 100 (25.3 AE 36.0 vs. 39.5 AE 37.5; P [ 0.004). Virtual mentorship pairing was the highest rated educational intervention suggested by first-and second-year medical students. The third-and fourth-year medical students had cited virtual surgical skills workshops most frequently.-CONCLUSIONS: The results from the present nationwide survey have highlighted the concerns of medical students regarding their neurosurgery education during the COVID-19 pandemic. With these findings, neurosurgery organizations can consider targeted plans for students of each year to continue their education and development.

Undergraduate Radiology Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Review of Teaching and Learning Strategies

“…In a recent article about the barriers faced by students interested in neurosurgery during the pandemic, 59% of respondents were concerned about the amount of their clinical exposure in neurosurgery. 39 It is likely that medical students interested in radiology would cite similar concerns. Radiology, however, is better positioned than the surgical specialities as radiology content is almost entirely digital and can be delivered effectively through blended learning.…”

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

“…Of MS3s surveyed, 76% reported ≥1 cancelled or postponed neurosurgery rotation in 2020, and many MSs have reported a lack of readiness for neurosurgery residency applications. 16 In national surveys, MSs reported they were more likely to take 1 year off from medical school after the start of the pandemic, 16 1 in 3 first-year MSs were dissatisfied with the neurosurgical career planning offered by their home medical school during the pandemic, and almost 1 in 5 MSs reported they were less likely to pursue a career in neurosurgery. 5 …”

“…Overall, the highest rated educational interventions reported by MSs in surveys have been virtual mentorship pairings (suggested by first- and second-year MSs), virtual surgical skill workshops (suggested by MS3s and MS4s), 16 and focused webinars and conferences (suggested by all aggregated MSs). 5 The neurosurgical community has been summoned to help abate these shortcomings in MSE during COVID-19 by offering additional virtual MSE opportunities, 17 virtual opportunities for mentorship, and providing MSs with training camp-style material to prepare for their internship year, even in the absence of in-person gatherings.…”

Re: Roman Sosnowski, Hubert Kamecki, Steven Joniau, Jochen Walz, Zachary Klaassen, Joan Palou. Introduction of Telemedicine During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Challenge for Now, an Opportunity for the Future. Eur Urol. In press. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eururo.2020.07.007

“…To mitigate negative effects from reduced clinical exposure, students should be invited to participate in virtual multidisciplinary team meetings and online outpatient clinics, which facilitate clinical skills practice and maintain specialty engagement. Notably, virtual mentorships in neurosurgery are highly rated by students in assuring trainee development [4] . The implementation of such initiatives in urology should be encouraged, as this would ensure continued support of students throughout their training.…”