Virtual grand rounds as a novel means for applicants and programs to connect in the era of COVID-19

Abstract

Background COVID-19 has disrupted the 2020–2021 residency application cycle with the cancellation of away rotations and in-person interviews. This study seeks to investigate the feasibility and utility of video conferencing technology (VCT) as an opportunity for applicants to interact with faculty from outside programs. Methods 18 prospective urology applicants were randomized to 6 urology programs to give a virtual grand rounds (VGR) talk. Presentations were recorded and analyzed to determine audience engagement. Students were surveyed regarding perceived utility of VGR. Faculty were surveyed to determine system usability of VCT and ability to evaluate the applicant. Results 17 students completed the survey, reporting a 100% satisfaction rate with VGR. A majority felt this was a useful way to learn about outside programs. 85 physicians completed the faculty survey, with nearly half feeling confident in their ability to evaluate the applicant. Video transcription data shows sessions were interactive with minimal distractions. Conclusions VGR can be a useful means for medical students to express interest in programs as well as an additional marker for faculty to evaluate applicants.

COVID-19 and slowdown of residents’ activity: Feedback from a novel e-learning event and overview of the literature

“…Twenty-one were comments/ editorials/reviews broadly describing changes in residency programs during the pandemic, mostly published during the very initial phase of the outbreak ; some of them focused also on perspectives toward digital education and e-learning opportunities. [7][8][9][10][11]20,24 Four articles highlighted the viewpoint of medical students and urology applicants, [27][28][29][30] impaired by the reduced opportunity for rotations. 29 Fourteen articles consisted of surveys addressing residents' perception toward their learning during the pandemic, the redistribution of activity (including details on involvement on the care of COVID patients), opportunities for away rotations in surgical fields, subjective feelings, and burnout syndromes during the pandemic.…”

Finding the Next Resident Physicians in the COVID-19 Global Pandemic: An Applicant Survey on the 2020 Virtual Urology Residency Match

“…One such example is the role of virtual grand rounds. Xu et al report virtual grand rounds at one center were viewed positively by applicants and that program faculty reported they were useful for determining whether to offer an interview 8 . This topic was further explored by Jian et al in an online survey of 70 urology applicants connected through the UroResidency platform.…”

Building a Virtual Summer Research Experience in Cancer for High School and Early Undergraduate Students: Lessons From the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Within medical education, virtual or distance learning combined with simulation became more common [1,3]. Similarly, graduate medical and research education incorporated virtual didactic and telemedicine training [3][4][5][6][7]. Here, we describe the strategic pivot to the Virtual Summer Research Experience in Cancer (vSREC) from two traditional pipeline programs, aimed at immersing high school juniors, seniors, and early undergraduate students from underrepresented populations in biomedical science.…”