Development and Implementation of an Online Virtual Teaching Curriculum for the Continuity of Undergraduate Medical Education in Surgical Anatomy.

Abstract

Despite the significant reform medical education has witnessed over the past decade,1,2 the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has kindled change that will persist for generations to come.3 Recommendations recently made by the Association of American Medical Colleges have advocated for the withdrawal of medical students from all clinical rotations at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and, more recently, for the cancellation of all in-person visiting rotations.3,4 In response, plastic surgeons have continued to innovate and address these educational challenges. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons now provides interested medical students with free access to its online Education Network, a program that offers over 90 educational modules on an array of essential plastic surgery topics.3 A recent report in the Journal describes the development of virtual plastic surgery subinternships for senior medical students unable to complete in-person rotations, with objectives that remain in line with Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education core competencies.4 However, and despite these notable efforts, there remains a paucity of attention targeted toward the continuity of medical education in surgical anatomy, a topic that remains particularly relevant as an essential competency for senior medical students before beginning postgraduate training in plastic surgery. To address this educational disparity, our group developed and implemented an online virtual anatomy teaching curriculum designed to help keep medical students up to date, prepared, and on-track for surgical rotations ahead. Topics covered thus far include the thorax, brachial plexus, forearm, hand, anterior abdominal wall, back, and lower extremity, with upcoming sessions scheduled for head and neck, craniofacial, intraabdominal, and pelvic anatomy. These sessions were designed not to replace core anatomy teaching, but rather to help reinforce essential concepts and discuss different surgical techniques, medical abnormalities, and clinically relevant variations, thus simulating and complementing intraoperative and clinical learning. [See Video (online), which shows a short segment from a breast anatomy lecture (image courtesy of Jad Abi-Rafeh).] Our initiative has so far amassed interest from 227 medical students; the majority of them (80 percent) are in their second and third years of medical training. Most recently, 68 percent of participants attended from our local institution, with the remainder representing local and international trainees from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Colombia, Indonesia, and The Netherlands. With the support of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery’s social medial channels, interest from international attendees continues to grow. Through before-and-after tests administered to participants, a significant improvement in average test scores was observed following virtual learning (from 46 percent to 76 percent; p < 0.05), with retention of knowledge subsequently established at 2-week follow-up. All sessions are recorded in real time and remain available for future reference by all participants. {"href":"Single Video Player","role":"media-player-id","content-type":"play-in-place","position":"float","orientation":"portrait","label":"Video.","caption":"This video shows a short segment from a breast anatomy lecture (image courtesy of Jad Abi-Rafeh).","object-id":[{"pub-id-type":"doi","id":""},{"pub-id-type":"other","content-type":"media-stream-id","id":"1_syjxjg45"},{"pub-id-type":"other","content-type":"media-source","id":"Kaltura"}]} The role of virtual teaching resources in plastic surgery education continues to grow, with notable advantages established for both trainees and educators alike.3 Advancements in the field of simulation and virtual teaching in plastic surgery have complemented timely transitions to competency-based training curricula.5 Plastic surgeons must continue innovating and responding to evolving educational challenges to help foster excellence in our field. Thus, it is the authors’ wish that through this correspondence, the validity, efficacy, and reliability of virtual training platforms in surgical education is demonstrated, to help address evolving educational challenges and training the next generation of surgeons, during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, and beyond. DISCLOSURE The authors have no financial interest to declare in relation to the content of this article. No funding was received for this work. Jad Abi-Rafeh, M.Sc.Faculty of Medicine Tyler Safran, M.D.Mirko S. Gilardino, M.D., M.Sc.Division of Plastic and Reconstructive SurgeryMcGill UniversityMontreal, Quebec, Canada