scholarly journals Addressing the Covid-19 Burden on Medical Education and Training: The Role of Telemedicine and Tele-Education During and Beyond the Pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Divyansh Sharma ◽  
Sonu Bhaskar

Medical students are the future of sustainable health systems that are severely under pressure during COVID-19. The disruption in medical education and training has adversely impacted traditional medical education and medical students and is likely to have long-term implications beyond COVID-19. In this article, we present a comprehensive analysis of the existing structural and systemic challenges applicable to medical students and teaching/training programs and the impact of COVID-19 on medical students and education. Use of technologies such as telemedicine or remote education platforms can minimize increased mental health risks to this population. An overview of challenges during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic are also discussed, and targeted recommendations to address acute and systemic issues in medical education and training are presented. During the transition from conventional in-person or classroom teaching to tele-delivery of educational programs, medical students have to navigate various social, economic and cultural factors which interfere with their personal and academic lives. This is especially relevant for those from vulnerable, underprivileged or minority backgrounds. Students from vulnerable backgrounds are influenced by environmental factors such as unemployment of themselves and family members, lack of or inequity in provision and access to educational technologies and remote delivery-platforms, and increased levels of mental health stressors due to prolonged isolation and self-quarantine measures. Technologies for remote education and training delivery as well as sustenance and increased delivery of general well-being and mental health services to medical students, especially to those at high-risk, are pivotal to our response to COVID-19 and beyond.

Author(s):  
Timothy Edward A. Barrett

Education and training of medical students and postgraduate residents must undergo a critical review in light of the changing times and attitudes. The demands of life in general are enough to provide significant stressors for today's students in addition to coping with pressures of balancing passing exams with meeting the expectations of family and instructors. This chapter will highlight the realities of the effect of the pressures of study on the students' mental health and well-being. It will then describe several changes that can be made to the way medical students are trained which then shifts the focus to personal growth and development and away from the traditional goals of knowledge, skills and competencies for the goal of passing the exams. In the end, this chapter will challenge readers and institutions to pause and reconsider the current approach to training of medical students.


2005 ◽  
Vol 29 (11) ◽  
pp. 433-434
Author(s):  
Sanju George ◽  
Veena Math

The Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board (PMETB) is an ‘independent regulatory body which sets standards, approves, quality assures and evaluates postgraduate medical education and training in the UK’ (Thomas, 2005). The Board was launched in September 2005, although it will be another 2–3 years before it will become fully functional as the single competent authority for postgraduate medical education and training. It is worth noting that the remit of the PMETB does not encompass undergraduate medical education, training for pre-registration doctors or dental education and training. The three important areas of activity of PMETB include approval of curricula and assessments, certification and quality assurance. The first two of these are of immediate and direct relevance to trainees. Brown's paper ‘The Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board (PMETB) goes live’ (2005, this issue) gives an excellent overview of the origins, structure and roles and responsibilities of the PMETB. However, one key aspect that is not discussed in Brown's paper is the impact of PMETB on trainees and training. We will highlight some of these issues and discuss concerns which trainees have raised regarding changes to training which will arise in the wake of the PMETB.


2021 ◽  
pp. postgradmedj-2021-140032
Author(s):  
Michail Papapanou ◽  
Eleni Routsi ◽  
Konstantinos Tsamakis ◽  
Lampros Fotis ◽  
Georgios Marinos ◽  
...  

COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly disrupted the well-established, traditional structure of medical education. Τhe new limitations of physical presence have accelerated the development of an online learning environment, comprising both of asynchronous and synchronous distance education, and the introduction of novel ways of student assessment. At the same time, this prolonged crisis had serious implications on the lives of medical students including their psychological well-being and the impact on their academic trajectories. The new reality has, on many occasions, triggered the ‘acting up’ of medical students as frontline healthcare staff, which has been perceived by many of them as a positive learning and contributing experience, and has led to a variety of responses from the educational institutions. All things considered, the urgency for rapid and novel adaptations to the new circumstances has functioned as a springboard for remarkable innovations in medical education,including the promotion of a more “evidence-based” approach.


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