The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the readiness of last year's medical students for clinical rotation

Abstract

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic affects various aspects of human life. To minimize the impact of lockdown, medical schools used online learning systems. However, online education also impacts student readiness, especially last year's medical students who will soon undergo clinical rotation. Therefore, this article aims to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the readiness of last year's medical students for clinical rotation. This study was a literature review that used several databases and online sources: Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, Pubmed (MEDLINE), and Cochrane Library, to search relevant journals related to the topic. Based on the literature search, the transition from student to doctor has been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which had a substantial impact on medical student education, especially on interruptions of student assistantship that disturb students’ preparation, self-assurance and professional identity. The online education system in the last year of pre-clinical medical students involves changing the medical curriculum, duration of lectures, lecture schedules, and academic material loads, which are carried out through the implementation of online material sources or meeting platforms. However, the online education system also has several barriers that cause learning effectiveness that is not comparable to traditional face-to-face education systems, including the level of ability of both teachers and students to adapt online, time management, supporting infrastructure, integrated communication systems, and student engagement. This also had an impact on both students' theoretical and practical skills. Several factors also affect the student's readiness, including student assistantship interruption, OSCEs, written exams, competence, clerkship orientation, learning style, classroom environment, and mental health.