Impact of the covid-19 pandemic on medical school applicants

Kaminskaite, Viktorija; Bluemel, Anna Harvey

doi:10.1136/bmj.o1398

Cited by 3 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 2 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

Section: Journalssagepubcom/home/rcpmentioning

confidence: 89%

mentioning

confidence: 89%

“…These efforts include expanding the use of contextualised admissions (i.e., considering, and adjusting for, the context of the circumstances in which applicants achieved their education) 2 along with the development of online outreach activities. 4 However, we argue that these efforts are not sufficient given that the gap between students who have experienced disadvantage and those from more privileged backgrounds has widened. 3 Moreover, getting more diverse students into medicine is only one part of the picture: students need to be supported to stay in medicine until they successfully graduate, enter the medical workforce and complete training.Recent data from the British Medical Association 5 student finance survey suggest that of their sample of UK medical school students, nearly half (44.3%) expect to run out of money before the end of the academic year, over a tenth are unable to travel for their studies and/or training because of financial circumstances, around 1 in 25 were using a food bank, and 1 in 7 had applied for hardship funding.…”

mentioning

confidence: 89%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Affordability, inclusivity and justice – threats to the sustainability of the medical workforce in an economic crisis

Smith

Johnston

Cleland

2023

Journal of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

journals.sagepub.com/home/rcpThere has been significant investment in widening participation to medicine over the last decade or so in many countries, including the United Kingdom. 1 However, these efforts to increase diversity and equity within the medical profession are threatened by the current economic and political climate. Previously, Smith and Cleland 2 highlighted that the changed ways of working in response to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) would likely exacerbate existing educational attainment gaps between different societal groups and thus impact significantly on young people from less privileged backgrounds who aspired to study medicine. These predictions held true: recent research demonstrated that the impact of the pandemic on loss of learning amongst those from less privileged backgrounds is greater than peers from more privileged backgrounds. 3 Certainly, there has been significant effort by universities to promote widening participation since the pandemic. These efforts include expanding the use of contextualised admissions (i.e., considering, and adjusting for, the context of the circumstances in which applicants achieved their education) 2 along with the development of online outreach activities. 4 However, we argue that these efforts are not sufficient given that the gap between students who have experienced disadvantage and those from more privileged backgrounds has widened. 3 Moreover, getting more diverse students into medicine is only one part of the picture: students need to be supported to stay in medicine until they successfully graduate, enter the medical workforce and complete training.Recent data from the British Medical Association 5 student finance survey suggest that of their sample of UK medical school students, nearly half (44.3%) expect to run out of money before the end of the academic year, over a tenth are unable to travel for their studies and/or training because of financial circumstances, around 1 in 25 were using a food bank, and 1 in 7 had applied for hardship funding. The latter was linked with markers of disadvantage at the point of entry to medical school. Medical students from underprivileged backgrounds may also need to juggle working multiple jobs while on clinical placement. 6

show abstract

Section: Journalssagepubcom/home/rcpmentioning

confidence: 89%

mentioning

confidence: 89%

mentioning

confidence: 89%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Affordability, inclusivity and justice – threats to the sustainability of the medical workforce in an economic crisis

Smith

Johnston

Cleland

2023

Journal of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…How has the covid-19 pandemic affected the application process? Viktorija Kaminskaite and Anna Harvey Bluemel investigate the changes introduced by medical schools to comply with public health restrictions 10. There is a silver lining from the pandemic—some medical students have found online learning more flexible, especially for medical students with disabilities 11…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Clinicians in the 21st century—caring for the people and the planet

Lok¹

2022

BMJ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Aspiring to equity: virtual work experience for prospective medical students

Zhang,

Chan,

Antcliffe

et al. 2024

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Introduction Work experience (WEx) is important for aspiring medical students to gain insights into healthcare, enhancing their confidence and understanding of medicine. Typically, those with greater social resources find securing WEx easier, creating a disparity for students from widening participation backgrounds. With the COVID-19 pandemic, traditional in-person WEx shifted to virtual platforms; however our knowledge of the effectiveness of these programmes at engaging students and increasing their confidence and insight into medicine is limited. Methods In 2022, the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (ICHT) in the United Kingdom initiated a comprehensive 5-day virtual WEx via Microsoft Teams, targeting students from all backgrounds but prioritising students from underrepresented groups. The curriculum was strategically organised into five core themes, each designed to provide insights and practical knowledge about various facets of the entry process into medical school and the medical profession. This digital approach facilitated simulated clinical experiences, reflective group interactions and direct dialogues with medical students and doctors through live sessions. Results The ICHT virtual WEx saw engagement from 500 participants nationwide, half of whom were from non-selective state schools. Post-programme evaluation demonstrated that confidence (non-selective school students p < 0.0001, selective school students p < 0.0001) and knowledge (non-selective school students p = 0.002, selective school students p < 0.0001) in the medical school application process both increased. Participants expressed appreciation for exposure to a broad range of professionals within the medical community, “near-peer” learning for insights into medical careers and the interactivity of the programme. Conclusions The success of the ICHT’s virtual WEx underscores its ability to help aspiring students understand what it is like to work in healthcare, and what is needed to apply to Medicine and to be a doctor. This programme has been usefully employed in a hybrid format post-pandemic. By improving access and equity for aspiring medical students including from underrepresented regions, this model has potential to widen participation.

show abstract

Impact of the covid-19 pandemic on medical school applicants

Cited by 3 publications

References 2 publications

Affordability, inclusivity and justice – threats to the sustainability of the medical workforce in an economic crisis

Affordability, inclusivity and justice – threats to the sustainability of the medical workforce in an economic crisis

Clinicians in the 21st century—caring for the people and the planet

Aspiring to equity: virtual work experience for prospective medical students

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About