Medical student and faculty perceptions of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical education and personal well-being

Abstract

Objective: This is a retrospective questionnaire study, which aims to highlight the effects COVID-19 has had on medical education and personal well-being on medical students and faculty. Materials and Methods: An email containing two questionnaire links, one for medical students and the other for clinical faculty, was sent to medical institutions in California. The medical student questionnaire consists of 18 questions, and the faculty questionnaire consists of 15 questions. Results: The total number of participants who responded was 213; 160 were medical students and 44 were faculty. Forty-seven percent of medical students believe that their medical education has been negatively affected by the pandemic, and 49% strongly agree that lack of in-person communication has negatively affected medical education. Fifty-two percent of faculty indicated that they strongly agree medical education at their institution, which has been negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic; 46% somewhat agree that lack of in-person communication has negatively affected clinical education. Conclusion: Both faculty and medical students reported a decline in the quality of medical education, satisfaction, competency, and personal well-being during the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic is ongoing and institutions must adopt a virtual interactive curriculum to improve both education and mental health.