Written by Kimia Asgari
About a year ago, the world as we knew it, changed when the World Health Organization (WHO) declared SARS-CoV2, more commonly referred to as COVID-19, a pandemic. New rules and protocols were put into effect to minimize the impact of the virus, and one of the groups heavily affected by the pandemic was medical students.
Medical education programs are divided into an initial university-based preclinical phase followed by a clinical phase in the healthcare setting. Due to the pandemic, the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) instructed suspension of direct medical student clinical training unless there was a local shortage of healthcare workforce.
The extensive uncertainty and disagreement about the appropriate roles for medical students during the pandemic caused institutional variations in the level of student clinical care participation. The primary role of medical students is to learn medicine but, these students are also clinicians with the passion and capacity to care for patients. There are both benefits and risks associated with medical student involvement in patient care and clinical participation.
Potential benefits of medical students' participation in clinical care during the pandemic include:
Increased efficiency
Medical students can assist understaffed clinics with routine outpatient clinical care, boosting the efficiency of these clinics. These experiences have reduced risk of infectious transmission as most of the necessary, routine procedures during such visits can be performed via telemedicine.
Increased availability of physicians for COVID-19 care
Medical students can provide inpatient care to patients without COVID-19 reducing physician time constraints and staff shortage and increasing physicians' availability to treat and manage patients with COVID-19.
Assist in providing care to COVID-19 patients
Medical students can contribute to the care of a COVID-19 patient by remotely monitoring infected patients with mild symptoms who were not admitted into hospitals. They can also help by reviewing charts, drafting notes, ensuring tests are performed for admitted patients, and conducting follow-ups after patient discharge.
Developing and shaping professional identities of medical students
When medical students form professional relationships with their teammates, peers, and patients, they shape their professional identity. This identity provides the students with a sense of ownership and responsibility and allows them to understand what is expected of them, their limits and privileges.
Increased probability of disease transmission, student safety, and conservation of limited resources such as PPE (personal protective equipment) are some of the risks associated with student participation in clinical care. However, the risk to students may be lower than the risks to retired clinician volunteers as they are more susceptible to complications of COVID-19 due to their age.
Another complication caused by the pandemic is the concern about the loss of educational value in medicine. The pandemic may have shifted the focus of attending and senior residents, who are usually responsible for medical student training and supervision, to managing COVID‐19 related issues during shifts. The addition of new and unfamiliar protocols may further contribute to this issue.
COVID-19 pandemic has shaken the world and changed many of the aspects of our lives, and medical students have been no exception. Even though their education and training may have changed, their contribution to the medical system and healthcare force, in whatever capacity, is essential and appreciated.
Comentarios