Postgraduate medical education during the COVID-19 pandemic: lessons learned and calls to action for medical education leaders

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a rapid transformation in the delivery of postgraduate medical education, causing unexpected effects on the learning experiences of residents in training. Program directors, as educational leaders, are relied on to adapt an established curriculum and clinical experience into a virtual world while navigating the limitations imposed by the pandemic. In this article, we focus on the impact of the dramatic changes to medical education delivery on both learners and leaders and examine the challenges and successes of the new strategies employed. A reflection of the importance of leadership in medical education is discussed, along with a review of the strategies that have emerged as successful and worthy of integration into our new medical education paradigm.