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The COVID-19 pandemic caused a large strain on the US medical system, with shortage of medical personnel being a key issue. The role of medical school students during a pandemic is not well established. Understanding the perspectives of medical students with regard to their role is essential in determining how to facilitate the use of their skills in combating the pandemic. To evaluate medical student perspectives on the COVID-19 pandemic, an anonymous online survey was distributed to medical students, primarily in the Northeastern United States. In the sample of 232 students, there were significant differences between students in different class years when assessing moral obligations to assist with the COVID-19 pandemic ( p = 0.002). A higher percentage of first and second year medical students (pre-clinical training, around 48%) felt that healthcare students are morally obligated to assist as compared to third and fourth year students (clinical training, 30.43% of third years and 23.19% of fourth years). In all class years, the majority said they would regret their decision if they had chosen not to study medicine (62.32% to 79.31%) and most students did not feel their motivation to become a physician had been decreased (84.78% to 87.50%). Though the study was limited because the majority of subjects were from New York, the results provide insight into medical students’ attitudes about the COVID-19 pandemic and can be used in the planning of how best to utilize medical students in this and in future situations. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-021-01374-z.

No abstract

Puberty is generally known as the emotional and physical maturation of a child to adulthood. This allows for sexual maturation and the means to reproduce. Children will undergo a pubertal growth spurt, as well as changes to the reproductive organs. While puberty is mostly associated with changes in reproduction and endocrine systems, it is multifaceted and affects the musculoskeletal, behavioral and vascular systems. Puberty occurs due to activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis and a progressive increase in the amount of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) released. The average age of puberty is 13 years old in girls and 14 years old in boys. Associated pubertal diseases are usually split into two categories, based on whether the physical indicators appear earlier or later than expected. When these indicators occur at two standard deviations (SD) early, it is known as precocious puberty, and when they are 2–2.5 SDs late, it is known as delayed puberty. Because of the inseparability of physical and mental health, osteopathic medicine offers a practical approach for treatment of pubertal conditions using osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT). Osteopathic medicine takes a holistic view of the person in which somatic, visceral and psychological dysfunction are united. Thus, physicians who incorporate OMT into their practice will be able to aid in promoting proper development during puberty as well as addressing accompanying somatic dysfunctions. In this paper, we will discuss the physiology of puberty, pubertal disorders, the epidemiology of puberty, current management protocols, osteopathic considerations in puberty and OMT’s role in treatment.