Reimagining the Away Rotation: A 4-Week Virtual Subinternship in Urology

Margolin, Ezra J.; Gordon, Rachel; Anderson, Christopher B.; Badalato, Gina M.

doi:10.1016/j.jsurg.2021.01.008

Cited by 24 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…In this study, students reported a high level of satisfaction with the virtual rotation and found it to be educational and useful for learning about the program and culture. These results support the findings of similar recent investigations in radiology, urology, otolaryngology, and internal medicine-pediatrics 9 - 13 . This suggests that a virtual rotation can function as a reasonable substitute when in-person rotations are not possible or are limited in number.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Implementation and Evaluation of a Formal Virtual Medical Student Away Rotation in Orthopaedic Surgery During the COVID-19 Pandemic

et al. 2021

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Introduction: Away rotations are a valuable experience for medical students when applying for residency. In light of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, there has been significant interest in the development of virtually based substitutes. This study evaluates the utility of a formal virtual fourth-year medical student away rotation in orthopaedic surgery by surveying participants and provides recommendations for success. Methods: A 2-week virtual orthopaedic elective was offered to fourth-year medical students in lieu of traditional in-person away rotations. The course consisted of multiple components such as subspecialty case-based didactics, “happy hours” with residents, assigned resident mentors, student case presentations, and observation of resident lectures. After course completion, anonymous surveys were administered to participants to evaluate the rotation. Results: Twenty-three of 24 participating students (96%) completed the student survey, and 22 of 24 participating faculty and residents (82%) completed the resident/faculty survey. Most students were very (87%) or somewhat (9%) satisfied with their experience and found the rotation to be a very (35%) or somewhat useful (61%) substitute for an in-person rotation. Students indicated that the rotation very (91%) or somewhat positively (9%) influenced their perception of the program. All students indicated that the rotation was very educational. Most students (91%) reported that the rotation was very useful for learning about the program and culture, with subspecialty didactics and happy hours most useful. Faculty and residents indicated that the rotation was useful for getting to know the students (17% “very useful” and 83% “somewhat useful”) and for assessing student characteristics, such as knowledge base and communication skills. Conclusions: A formal virtual orthopaedic surgery away rotation can be a valuable experience for medical students which provides educational value, insight into program culture, and an opportunity to demonstrate interest in the program. The curriculum and recommendations presented in this study can be used as a preliminary template for others interested in creating successful virtual rotations.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Implementation and Evaluation of a Formal Virtual Medical Student Away Rotation in Orthopaedic Surgery During the COVID-19 Pandemic

et al. 2021

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“…Virtual rotations have been developed in almost every specialty, including but not limited to emergency medicine [ 4 , 5 ], geriatric psychiatry [ 6 ], intensive care [ 3 ], internal medicine [ 7 ], obstetrics and gynecology [ 8 ], ophthalmology [ 9 ], orthopedics [ 10 , 11 ], otolaryngology [ 12 , 13 ], pathology [ 14 , 15 ], pediatrics [ 16 ], physical medicine and rehabilitation [ 17 ], plastic surgery [ 18 ], radiation oncology [ 19 , 20 ], radiology [ 21 ], telehealth [ 22 ], urology [ 23 , 24 ], and vascular surgery [ 25 ].…”

Section: Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These rotations cater to a clientele of medical students [ 3 - 5 , 8 - 25 ], resident physicians [ 6 , 23 ], and physician assistants [ 7 ]. They ranged in length from one week [ 24 ], two weeks [ 13 , 16 - 18 , 20 ], three weeks [ 8 , 15 ], four weeks [ 3 , 5 , 9 , 14 , 21 , 22 ], or were not specified.…”

Section: Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Review of Virtual Medical Student Rotations During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Their Role, Advantages, Disadvantages, and Future Prospects

Satnarine¹,

Kin²

2022

Cureus

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The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the pause of medical clinical rotations. As a result, virtual rotations were implemented. These are a form of remote learning that seeks to mimic the clinical learning environment that students were already accustomed to. This article seeks to review the published literature to explore which specialties adapted this format, what are the advantages and disadvantages observed, determine what were the responsibilities and involvements of students participating in these rotations, how well these rotations substituted for in-person rotations, and to evaluate if there is a continued role for them after, outside of COVID-19. Virtual rotations have been developed in almost every specialty. These rotations have been developed from small centers to large universities, and are widespread throughout the United States, and in other countries as well. These rotations are targeted toward medical students, medical residents, and physician assistants and range in length from one to four weeks. Responsibilities and scope of interaction varied according to rotation; some rotations allowed patient interaction, and observation of procedures and surgeries, whereas some were purely didactic. A mixture of inpatient and outpatient involvements was seen. Advantages included saving money and time, more flexibility, increased diversity, and participation of international medical graduates. Virtual rotations participants have been invited for interviews at the participating institution's residency programs and have matched there. Disadvantages included lack of assessment of practical skills, inability to receive credit, and inability to obtain a letter of recommendation. Virtual rotations have proven to be a good substitute for in-person rotations, with most medical students seeing a need for the rotations in the future. Due to widespread development and acceptance of these rotations, it is likely that these rotations will continue.

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“…8 , 9 , 10 As program websites and social media accounts have become a key means of connection with prospective applicants, programs across multiple specialties developed various forms of virtual sub‐internships (VSIs). 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 Dean et al (2020) first described the implementation of a plastic surgery VSI built around the established Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) core competencies for in‐person rotations. 13 In other surgical subspecialties, similar curricula have been well‐received and highly valued by the majority of participating students.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“… 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.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%