Medical education in times of COVID-19: German students' expectations - A cross-sectional study.

Teresa Loda,Stephan Zipfel,Rebecca Erschens,Anne Herrmann-Werner,Tobias Löffler,Jenny Wilkinson

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0241660

Abstract

Since the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the education of medical students, medical faculties have faced the challenge of adapting instruction to digital platforms. Although medical students are willing to support pandemic response efforts, how the crisis will affect their medical training remains uncertain. Thus, in this study, we investigated the teaching- and learning-related stressors and expectations of medical students in Germany during the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional survey was distributed online to undergraduate medical students at medical faculties in Germany. Students answered questions about COVID-19 and teaching (on a 7-point Likert scale from 0 ("not at all") to 6 ("completely")) and completed mental well-being measurements, including the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), the Generalised Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7) and the Perceived Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Descriptive data analysis, a t-test and Pearson correlations were performed to process the data. Medical students felt well-informed about COVID-19 in general (M = 5.64, SD = 1.28) and in the medical context (M = 5.14, SD = 1.34) but significantly less informed about the pandemic in the academic context, M = 2.47, SD = 1.49, t(371) = 31.98, p < .001. Their distress levels were high (STAI: M = 45.12, SD = 4.73) and significantly correlated with the academic context (rp = .164, p < .01) but not their private lives. Concerning how they were taught, they most often expected online lectures (91.7%) and live broadcasts (67.2%) and less often expected innovative digital teaching strategies, including serious games (17.3%) and virtual-reality exercises (16.7%). Medical students seem to be aware of the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences for academic and healthcare contexts. They also seem to think that their teachers will enhance their digital competencies during the pandemic. Therefore, faculties of medicine need to rapidly and adequately digitalise their approaches to teaching.

Highlights

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed countless aspects of life around the world
Since the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the education of medical students, medical faculties have faced the challenge of adapting instruction to digital platforms
Medical students felt well-informed about COVID-19 in general (M = 5.64, standard deviations (SD) = 1.28) and in the medical context (M = 5.14, SD = 1.34) but significantly less informed about the pandemic in the academic context, M = 2.47, SD = 1.49, t(371) = 31.98, p

Summary

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed countless aspects of life around the world. The education of medical students is no exception, and in response to the pandemic, faculties of medicine worldwide have faced the challenge of adapting instruction to digital platforms. That possibility is supported by the fact that medical students remain updated about the COVID-19 pandemic and demonstrate high levels of related knowledge and preventive behaviours [4]. Since the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the education of medical students, medical faculties have faced the challenge of adapting instruction to digital platforms. Medical students are willing to support pandemic response efforts, how the crisis will affect their medical training remains uncertain. In this study, we investigated the teaching- and learning-related stressors and expectations of medical students in Germany during the COVID-19 pandemic

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Conclusion