Academic During a Pandemic: Reflections from a Medical Student on Learning During SARS-CoVid-2

Abstract

The current pandemic represents unprecedented times in medical education. In addition to the already strenuous demands of medical school, the SARS-CoVid-2 pandemic introduced a new source of ethical and moral pressure on students. Medical students navigated finishing their didactic years in isolation and initiated their clinical rotations in a pandemic environment. Many medical students found themselves in the frustrating position of being non-essential healthcare workers but still wanting to help. This paper follows the personal and shared experiences of a second-year medical student transitioning to their third year. In particular, this paper examines the author's personal ties to the disability community through their family, and how this impacted their approach in striving to aid in the pandemic.

The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Learning Outcomes of Medical Students in Taiwan: A Two-Year Prospective Cohort Study of OSCE Performance

“…Therefore, educational committee recently announced that medical students should return to clerkship rotations and clinical trainings as soon as possible after getting vaccinated to gain their certification for knowledge and skills of universal precautions. Our medical students are also requested to learn how healthcare professionals collaborate in times of crisis, since they are the clinicians of the future [ 32 ].…”

The impact of COVID‐19 on professional identity

“… 28 Additionally, extended exclusion from the clinic may signal to students that they are simply observers, not integral members of the health care team. 15 , 29 , 30 Indeed, several clerkship students echoed these sentiments in their reflections and also questioned whether they had developed any skills that would be useful in a clinical setting during a crisis or pandemic. At the same time, students who described volunteering despite being unable to participate in clerkship rotations expressed satisfaction and a sense of usefulness.…”

“…Several authors have warned that extended time away from clinical experiences will result in ethical dilemmas as students weigh the trade‐offs between their desire to fulfil their duty to patients, on the one hand, and avoid being a vector of disease spread, on the other hand 28 . Additionally, extended exclusion from the clinic may signal to students that they are simply observers, not integral members of the health care team 15,29,30 . Indeed, several clerkship students echoed these sentiments in their reflections and also questioned whether they had developed any skills that would be useful in a clinical setting during a crisis or pandemic.…”

Global prevalence of anxiety and depression among medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…However, in many countries, medical students in the clinical years are required to be involved in caring for patients owing to the shortage of professional health workers in hospitals because of increasing numbers of patients with COVID-19 infection [ 9 ], even though students may not have appropriate and complete training or sufficient clinical experience to be able to protect themselves and handle complex clinical situations. Therefore, both the Medical Schools Council (MSC) in the United Kingdom and the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) in the United States have published a guideline for the participation of medical students as health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic in which this group is recommended to work as volunteers [ 10 , 11 ].…”