Interns’ perspectives on impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the medical school to residency transition

Abstract

Background The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in disruptions to medical school training and the transition to residency for new post-graduate year 1 resident-physicians (PGY1s). Therefore, the aim of this study was to understand the perspectives of United States PGY1s regarding the impact of the pandemic on these experiences. Our secondary aims were to understand how desire to practice medicine was impacted by the pandemic and whether PGY1s felt that they were able to meaningfully contribute to the COVID-19 response as students. Method We conducted a national, cross-sectional study of PGY1s who had recently graduated from medical school in 2020. A survey was distributed to PGY1s from across specialties, in programs distributed throughout the United States. It included questions about medical school training during the pandemic, impact on graduation timing and transition to internship, concerns about caring for patients with COVID-19, desire to practice medicine, and ability to meaningfully contribute to the pandemic. Findings are presented using descriptive statistics and univariate logistic regression models. Results 1980 PGY1s consented to participate, 1463 completed the survey (74%), and 713 met criteria for this analysis. 77% of PGY1s reported that the pandemic adversely affected their connection with their medical school communities, and 58% reported that the pandemic impeded their preparation for intern year. 4% of PGY1s reported graduating medical school and practicing as an intern earlier than their expected graduation date. While the majority of PGY1s did not have a change in desire to practice medicine, PGY1s with concerns regarding personal health or medical conditions (OR 4.92 [95% CI 3.20–7.55] p < 0.0001), the health or medical conditions of others in the home (OR 4.41 [2.87–6.77], p < 0.0001]), and PGY1s with children (OR 2.37 [1.23–4.58], p < 0.0001) were more likely to report a decreased desire. Conclusions The COVID pandemic disrupted the social connectedness and educational experiences of a majority of PGY1 residents in a sample of trainees in United States training programs. Those with health concerns and children had particularly challenging experiences. As the current and subsequent classes of PGY1s affected by COVID-19 proceed in their training, ongoing attention should be focused on their training needs, competencies, and well-being.

Impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on medical genetics and genomics training: Perspective from clinical trainees

“…Third, senior residents (PGY ≥4) reported less depression than junior residents (p = 0.049). This finding corroborates with previous publications which showed that senior residents experienced a lesser degree of anxiety (Rana et al, 2020), and that the majority of interns (PGY1) reported disrupted social connectedness and educational experiences during the pandemic, particularly those with health concerns and children (Winn et al, 2021).…”

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Medical Interns' Education, Training, and Mental Health: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…A study assessing the COVID-19’s impact on post-graduate year 1 (PGY-1) physicians showed a generally unfavorable effect on medical training, as high as 77% taking a dim view in connection with the medical school community and 55% regarding preparation for the intern year [ 15 ]. We found that 75% of the study participants believed that COVID-19 had a negative impact on their overall educational experience.…”

Transition from undergraduates to residents: A SWOT analysis of the expectations and concerns of Japanese medical graduates during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…It is also evident that the support of fellows of a similar age and the effective use of simulation-based education can improve the readiness of the residents [ 16 , 17 ]. With regard to the transition to residency during the COVID-19 pandemic, residents who graduated early, because of a sense of responsibility or financial motivation and went on to work on the front lines, perceived their experience as positive and felt that they should be given future opportunities to monitor and improve their skills [ 18 , 19 ]. Although there is little research on how the mismatch between residents and supervisors in the transition to residency can be addressed [ 20 ], we can bridge this gap by exploring the thoughts and perspectives of such residents—who experienced interruptions in undergraduate clinical training due to the pandemic and had just started their postgraduate training—to establish the necessary support.…”