Virtual Radiation Oncology Clerkship During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond

Abstract

We evaluated the impact of a virtual radiation oncology clerkship. Methods and Materials: We developed a 2-week virtual radiation oncology clerkship that launched on April 27, 2020. Clerkship components included a virtual clinic with radiation oncology faculty and residents, didactic lectures, student talks, and supplemental sessions such as tumor boards and chart rounds. Medical students completed pre-and post-clerkship selfassessments. Faculty and resident participants also completed surveys on their experience with virtual lectures and clinics. Pre-and post-clerkship results were compared using a 2-sided paired t test. An analysis of variance model was used to analyze the clerkship components. Results: Twenty-six medical students, including 4 visiting students, enrolled over 2 clerkship periods (4 weeks). All students completed the pre-and post-clerkship self-assessments and agreed that the clerkship improved their understanding of radiation oncology. Compared with 3 (11.5%) students who agreed that they understood the daily responsibilities of a radiation oncologist before the clerkship, 22 (84.6%) students agreed and 3 (11.5%) strongly agreed that they understood the daily responsibilities of a radiation oncologist after the clerkship (P < .0001). Although 15 students (57.7%) reported an increased interest in radiation oncology because of the clerkship, the mean level of interest in radiation oncology as a career remained the same, with pre-and post-clerkship scores of 3.0 (AE0.9) and 3.0 (AE1.1) on a 5-point scale, respectively (P Z .7). Students found virtual clinic and didactic lectures to be the most valuable components of the clerkship. Most respondents agreed (30.8%) or strongly agreed (65.4%) to recommend the clerkship to their classmates. Conclusions: Our virtual clerkship was effective in increasing medical student interest in and knowledge about radiation oncology. These data will help optimize a new paradigm of virtual radiation oncology education for medical students during COVID-19 and beyond.

Professional and Psychological Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Oncology Residents: A National Survey

“…As lockdown and protective measures are removed entirely, oncology residents will need the support of senior clinicians to catch up with their training and research schedules. 25 A shift toward online medical training is ongoing, 26 and a balance will have to be found between inperson and online courses. Moreover, during the pandemic, major cancer meetings were replaced by virtual meetings (eg, American Association for Cancer Research 2020, ASCO 2020, ESM0 2020); if these digital congresses persist, they may in the longer term have positive results for residents' educational training, because attendance at these major international congresses was historically limited for residents.…”

Postgraduate oncology educational shifts during the COVID-19 pandemic: results of faculty and medical student surveys

“…Figure 2 ), gaining time and possibly energy, and is then valued by many students, as shown by many experience. 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 In our work, most (73.2%) students considered that the daily duration of their lessons was appropriate and that all offered courses were e-learning compatible (62.4%).…”

“…Various reports have partly evaluated such changes, mainly focusing on medical students/residents from various countries. 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 E-learning has generally been considered flexible and efficient by students. However, the impact of these recent changes is still poorly described, especially for oncology postgraduate students and faculty teachers.…”

Radiation oncology teaching provision and practice prior to and during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in medical schools in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland: a cross-sectional survey

“…Lastly, in acknowledgment of the popularity of oncology electives, several North American centres have successfully implemented RO placements for virtual delivery. 17,18 It may well be possible to replicate this initiative in other European centres, including in the UK and RoI, and across the wider world. Lastly, we recommend oncology teaching leads practice an awareness of their capacity to act as an advocate for RO in their medical school faculties, and for promotion of RO careers amongst medical students.…”