Changing the Status Quo: Developing a Virtual Sub-Internship in the Era of COVID-19

Abstract

Problem Subinternships are integral to medical education as tools for teaching and assessing fourth-year medical students. Social distancing due to COVID-19 has precluded the ability to offer in-person subinternships – negatively impacting medical education and creating uncertainty surrounding the residency match. With no precedent for the development and implementation of virtual subinternships, the Society of Academic Urologists (SAU) developed an innovative and standardized curriculum for the Virtual Subinternship in Urology (vSIU). Methods The vSIU committee's mandate was to create a standardized curriculum for teaching foundational urology and assessing student performance. Thirty-three members from 23 institutions were divided into working groups and given 3 weeks to develop 10 modules based on urologic subspecialties, Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education core competencies, technical skills training and student assessment. Working groups were encouraged to develop innovative learning approaches. The final curriculum was assembled into the “vSIU Guidebook.” Results The vSIU Guidebook contains 212 pages – 64 pages core content and 2 appendices (patient cases and evaluations). It outlines a detailed 4-week curriculum with a sufficient volume of resources to offer a completely adaptable virtual course with the same rigor as a traditional subinternship. Modules contain curated teaching resources including journal articles, lectures, surgical videos and simulated clinical scenarios. Innovative learning tools include reflective writing, mentorship guidelines, videoconference-based didactics, surgical simulcasting and virtual technical skills training. The guidebook was disseminated to program directors nationally. Next Steps The vSIU is the first virtual subinternship in any specialty to be standardized and offered nationally, and it was implemented by at least 19 urology programs. This curriculum serves as a template for other specialties looking to develop virtual programs and feedback from educators and students will allow the curriculum to evolve. As the pandemic continues to challenge our paradigm, this rapid and innovative response exemplifies that the medical community will continue to meet the needs of an ever-changing educational landscape.

Home Field Advantage: Assessing the Geographic Trends of the Plastic Surgery Residency Match during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…For urology, the Society of Academic Urologists created guidelines to encourage the widespread adoption and standardization of virtual sub-internships. 19 National organizations in the field of plastic surgery could follow suit for the 2022 cycle. Doing so will allow applicants to expand their professional networks, and hopefully limit the greater restraints that geography appeared to place on matching during the COVID-19 pandemic.…”

Design and Impact of a Novel Otolaryngology Virtual Sub-Internship in the Time of COVID-19

“…The COVID19 pandemic has forced educators to reevaluate their approach to education, mentorship, and to this year's residency application cycle [1][2][3][4][5]. In-person away electives have been an important experience for both residency programs and applicants to learn about each other.…”

“…The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the suspension of away electives, depriving students and programs of this valuable tool. Virtual educational experiences have become an important substitute for the in-person away elective, acting as an opportunity for residency programs to reach potential student applicants while showcasing their strengths and possible new changes or developments [1][2][3]. Virtual "Town Halls," "Webinar Sessions" and "Program Q&A's" have become quite common.…”

A virtual sub‐internship for otolaryngology‐head and neck surgery

“… 13 In other surgical subspecialties, similar curricula have been well‐received and highly valued by the majority of participating students. 15 , 16 , 17 In OHNS, only single‐day, townhall, or webinar format VSIs have been described in the literature to date. 18 , 19 For the 2021 to 2022 application year, the Coalition for Physician Accountability and the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) announced that in‐person away rotations are to be limited to one per student, with specific exceptions for students without home‐programs.…”