Abstract
During the COVID-19 emergency, medical students were mandated to remain home, creating challenges to providing education remotely for third-year clinical rotations. This study aims to assess student reception and investigate objective outcomes to determine if online learning is a suitable alternative. Medical students enrolled in the third-year surgical clerkship during COVID-19 were asked to participate in a survey. 19 of 27 (70%) students participated. Content, faculty-led lectures, and resident-led problem-based learning (PBL) sessions were assessed using a ten-point Likert scale. National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) examination, weekly quiz, and oral examination scores were compared to previous years. Student t-tests compared the groups. The median age was 25years. Comparing in-person to electronic sessions, there was no difference in effectiveness of faculty sessions preparing students for NBME (6.2 vs. 6.7, P = .46) or oral examinations (6.4 vs. 6.8, P = .58); there was also no difference in resident-led PBL sessions preparing students for NBME (7.2 vs. 7.2, P = .92) or oral examinations (7.4 vs. 7.6, P = .74). Comparing this group to students from the previous academic year, there was no difference in weekly quiz (85.3 vs. 87.8, P = .13), oral examination (89.8 vs. 93.9, P = .07), or NBME examination (75.3 vs. 77.4, P = .33) scores. Surgical medical didactic education can effectively be conducted remotely through faculty-led lectures and resident-led PBL sessions. Students did not have a preference between in-person and electronic content in preparation for examinations. As scores did not change, electronic education may be adequate for preparing students for examinations in times of crisis such as COVID-19.
Highlights
The novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and the associated respiratory illness (COVID-19) led to the United States limiting social gatherings and preventing nonessential travel.[1,2,3,4] As physicians and hospital systems braced for the influx of COVID-19 cases, there emerged a need to adjust the education provided to students across the country, including medical students.[5]
This study has shown that third-year medical students on a surgical clerkship perceive the online modality of Combined(n = 51)
Quizzes Oral examination National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) examination learning as effective compared with in-person content for preparing them for their examinations
Summary
The novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and the associated respiratory illness (COVID-19) led to the United States limiting social gatherings and preventing nonessential travel.[1,2,3,4] As physicians and hospital systems braced for the influx of COVID-19 cases, there emerged a need to adjust the education provided to students across the country, including medical students.[5] The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) issued recommendations concerning clinical clerkships and suggested that all education be converted to remote learning until the health risks abated.[6]. During the COVID-19 emergency, medical students were mandated to remain home, creating challenges to providing education remotely for third-year clinical rotations. This study aims to assess student reception and investigate objective outcomes to determine if online learning is a suitable alternative
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