Trainee-Directed Educational Pursuits and Advocacy During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Abstract

* Abbreviations: COVID-19 — : coronavirus disease 2019 SARS-CoV-2 — : severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 Despite its devastating effects on adult populations globally, the impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on children has been comparatively mild.1 Whereas adult hospitals have been confronted with bed and ventilator shortages in the face of large upticks in patient volume, many pediatric institutions have remained largely immune to these stressors given the small percentage of children positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) warranting hospitalization.2,3 As pediatric trainees who once braced for the possibility of a rapid onslaught in cases warranting our direct care on the frontlines, we personally feel an overwhelming sense of relief that our pediatric patients are predominantly spared from the effects of the virus. Notwithstanding, widespread social distancing practices, stay-at-home restrictions, and school closures have transformed the current landscape of pediatric practice and have consequently impacted our patients and families as well as our residency training. Inherent in this shift has been a reduction in opportunities for hands-on learning for trainees as well as modifications to structured teaching. Pediatric residents have nonetheless rallied around these changes to the traditional residency curriculum and developed innovative ways to connect with and advocate for our patients while simultaneously promoting the advancement of medical education. Across clinical settings, trainees are engaging less in person because of decreased emergency department visits, lower inpatient censuses, fewer outpatient appointments, and reduced clinical … Address correspondence to Danielle G. Rabinowitz, MD, MM, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children’s Hospital, 300 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115. E-mail: danielle.rabinowitz{at}childrens.harvard.edu