Residency Training in the COVID-19 Pandemic—Addressing the Need for Systems-Based Education

Abstract

The academic graduation season of 2022 marked the first, though seemingly not last, in which some residents completed their training with every year dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic. As recent residency graduates meeting these criteria, we are struck by how little we know about practicing medicine in a nonpandemic world. Virtual visits, high hospital censuses, and widespread understaffing were the norm throughout our training, replacing many of the typical residency learning experiences. These changes hindered residents' development of nonclinical skills crucial for practicing medicine in the US health system, stalling prior progress in systems-based education. As the world transitions to postpandemic normalcy, it is incumbent upon residency programs, health systems, and regulatory bodies to learn from these experiences to ensure and improve the quality of future training.The COVID-19 pandemic put incredible strain on the health care system, requiring reallocation of resources and rapidly changing priorities. Residents were no exception. 1,2 Consult, elective, research, and clinic blocks were often replaced by high-volume inpatient rotations. Formal education transitioned to virtual platforms or was paused entirely. Projects and independent studies were subsumed by expanded censuses and shortened call cycles. Through their increased clinical responsibilities, residents helped save countless lives but, in doing so, lost many of the educational components that were the norm in residency training.

An Innovative Resource to Guide and Track Medical Resident Activity and Wellness During At-Home Assignments

“…Those in medical residency training may have several reasons for needing options to study or work from home for a portion of their program. They obviously were at particular risk during the pandemic, leading to increased virtual training to ensure their safety and health [4][5][6]. COVID-19 also landed some residents in quarantine even though they were asymptomatic and able to participate in remote activities [7].…”