Background The COVID-19 pandemic forced medical education to rapidly transition from in-person learning to online learning. This change came with learning difficulties, social isolation, limited student/faculty relationships, and decreased academic performance. Objective The purpose of this study is to determine if academic performance, study habits, student/faculty relationships, and mental health were different in first-year medical students (class of 2024) during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to pre-COVID cohorts. Methods In April 2021, a survey was sent to first-year medical students at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV asking them to reflect on their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic including study environment, mental health, and relationships with peers and faculty. A similar survey was sent to second- and third-year medical students (classes of 2023 and 2022) asking them to reflect on similar experiences during their first year of medical school. Exam scores for the first five exams were gathered and compared between first-, second-, and third-year medical students. Results One hundred twenty-five students responded to the survey (81% of first-year students, 75% of second-year students, and 55% of third-year students). During the COVID-19 pandemic, first semester students did not score above the national average as much as first semester students pre-COVID (55% vs. 77%). Students during the pandemic studied at home more than previous cohorts. Mental health and relationships were all rated significantly lower among first semester students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusions Significant differences were found in first semester student experience and academic performance during the pandemic compared to pre-COVID cohorts.

BackgroundThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused medical schools to rapidly transition to online/distance learning. Online learning is often associated with poor academic performance, mental health, and student-to-faculty relationships. The purpose of this study is to determine if correlations exist between academic performance, mental health, study location, and student/faculty relationships among medical students. MethodologyFirst-year medical students received a survey asking them to reflect on their study location, mental health, and student/faculty relationships during the COVID-19 pandemic. Second-and third-year medical students received a similar survey asking them to reflect on their experiences from the perspective of their first year of medical school (pre-pandemic). The first five exam scores were gathered for all participants. Pearson's correlation coefficient was calculated between all variables. ResultsAcademic performance was found to be positively correlated with both mental health (R = 0.215, p = 0.016) and relationships among students (R = 0.0259, p = 0.004), while negatively correlated with the percentage of time spent studying at home (R = -0.185, p = 0.039). Mental health was additionally found to be positively correlated with relationships to faculty (R = 0.230, p = 0.01) and relationships to students (R = 0.245, p = 0.006). ConclusionsAcademic performance and mental health are correlated with relationships and study location. These correlations may explain the negative outcomes associated with online learning in medical education.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic presented a unique challenge to medical education, as students were abruptly required to adapt to a remote learning format. Previous studies show a decline in examination performance among medical students during their initial semester of the pandemic, relative to pre-COVID cohorts. The purpose of our study was to investigate whether such negative outcomes affected medical students’ preparedness for clerkship training. Methods: Medical students at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine, consisting of both third-year students who completed pre-clinical training amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and fourth-year students from the pre-pandemic cohort, were administered a Qualtrics survey to assess their perceived preparedness for clerkship training. Students’ confidence in key clinical skills were measured, such as taking patient histories, conducting physical exams, and communicating with medical staff. Students rated the relative importance of didactic lectures versus experiential learning for clerkship preparation. Performance on National Board of Medical Examiners shelf examinations were compared. Results: There was a significant difference in perception of disadvantage prior to starting clerkships between the COVID-cohort and their pre-COVID counterparts (mean ratings of 4.3/5 vs. 3.4/5). A greater proportion of the COVID cohort deemed experiential learning as more important than didactic lectures (37.5% vs. 62.5%) as opposed to the pre-COVID cohort which considered didactic lectures as more important (53.2% vs. 46.8%). This difference in perception did not translate to a significant difference in academic performance in the six NBME subject exams taken: Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, and Surgery. Conclusion: The implementation of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic did not have a significant impact on the self-perceived preparedness for clerkship training among medical students. Despite the perception of disadvantage among students who matriculated during the pandemic, overall levels of preparedness do not appear to be affected by the shift to remote instruction. This may be due to a phenomenon the authors deem as the “Grass is Greener,” where individuals perceive that they have missed out on resources that were given to others.