Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19): Lessons Learned Impact on the Education of Health Professionals.

Abstract

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) had a tremendous impact on the education of health professionals globally because of the lack of continuity in the medical education process. After it was declared a pandemic, stay-at-home orders forced students to learn virtually, to mitigate the spread of infection. While didactic courses transitioned easily to a virtual format, using platforms like Webex, Zoom, Google Classroom, etc. preclinical and clinical teaching suffered immensely. Patient care was halted for the safety of the patients, students and faculty, and staff involved. Uncertainty about clinical care and isolation during quarantine due to infections caused poor mental health among students. Most health professions innovated their teaching with simulations, role-play, educational videos, etc. but dental education suffered due to the need for psychomotor skill development. As the COVID-19 protocols evolved, and vaccinations became available, the teaching slowly transformed to Flipped Classrooms, Blended Learning, and Hybrid formats, and patient care was allowed with screening, triaging, and testing before scheduling for aerosol-causing procedures in dentistry. This new normal was accepted and silver linings in the pedagogies were appreciated by faculty and institutions alike as outcomes were analyzed. This chapter examines lessons learned on pandemic awareness, effective teaching pedagogies, and challenges of health professionals. An analysis of the lessons based on the framework of the Community of Inquiry is provided as guidelines to educate Gen Z for the future.