The plight of COVID-19 pandemic on medical students and residency applicants

Tariq, Ezza; Sah, Prem Kumar; Malik, Adnan

doi:10.1016/j.amsu.2020.10.010

Cited by 24 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…In fact, several studies had consistently reported that medical students were concerned about approaching patients infected with unknown diseases. In such cases, it may be plausible to focus the allocation of these volunteering students to activities relating to early levels of prevention with minimum risk of exposure, including health education and promotion, contact tracing and triages, as well as peer supports for isolating patients and HCWs [ 5 , 36 , 37 ]. Contrarily, volunteering opportunity in clinical settings should be strictly limited to clinical-year students, provided that they are well-prepared and protected [ 32 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Willingness to volunteer and readiness to practice of undergraduate medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional survey in Indonesia

et al. 2021

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Background The question to involve or restrict medical students’ involvement in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic response remains contentious. As their state of preparation and perceptions in volunteering during this pandemic have yet to be investigated, this study aims to evaluate Indonesian medical students’ willingness to volunteer and readiness to practice during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A web-based survey was conducted among undergraduate medical students throughout Indonesia. Socio-demographic and social interaction information, in addition to willingness to volunteer and readiness to practice, were obtained using a self-reported questionnaire. The significance level was set at 5%. Results Among 4870 participants, 2374 (48.7%) expressed their willingness to volunteer, while only 906 (18.6%) had adequate readiness to practice. Male students, students with prior volunteering experience in health or non-health sectors, and students from public universities or living in Central Indonesia (vs Java) had higher scores of willingness and readiness to volunteer. Students from Sumatra also had better preparedness (odds ratio [OR] 1.56, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.15–2.12, p = 0.004), while the opposite occurred for students from Eastern Indonesia (OR 0.63, 95% CI: 0.44–0.89, p = 0.002)–when compared to students from Java. In addition, compared to students with high family income, students from lower-middle income families were less willing to volunteer (OR 0.76, 95% CI: 0.59–0.98, p = 0.034), though those with low family income had better readiness (OR 1.51, 95% CI: 1.10–2.08, p = 0.011). Shortage of medical personnel, sense of duty, and solicitation by stakeholders were the main reasons increasing the students’ willingness to volunteer; whereas contrarily fear for own’s health, absence of a cure, and fear of harming patients were the primary factors diminishing their willingness to volunteer. Conclusion Our findings indicated that many Indonesian medical students are willing to volunteer, yet only few of them were ready to practice, indicating that further preparations are required to maximize their potentials and minimize their exposure to hazards. We suggest that their potentials as a firm support system during the pandemic should not be overlooked, and that the integration of relevant courses to the medical curricula are imperative to prepare for future public health emergencies.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Willingness to volunteer and readiness to practice of undergraduate medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional survey in Indonesia

et al. 2021

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“…The exceptional competitiveness of the orthopedic surgery specialty, compounded with the unclear impact of COVID-19 on residency recruitment, has presented significant challenges to both applicants and programs. Since most in-person opportunities and interviews in the 2020-2021 match cycle were cancelled due to COVID-19, we anticipated that applicants would increasingly rely on residency websites to gain insight into programs and cultural fit [ 13 , 17 - 19 ]. The purpose of this study was to explore the extent to which orthopedic surgery residency websites were updated throughout the pandemic.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While it was possible to supplement inadequate information found on websites with in-person experiences in previous years, the COVID-19 pandemic has limited this year’s applicants to mostly virtual experiences. Consequently, applicants have been forced to rely more heavily on websites in the 2020-2021 application cycle [ 9 , 13 - 15 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Orthopedic Surgery Residency Program Website Content and Accessibility During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Observational Study

Shatanofy¹,

Brown²,

Berger³

et al. 2021

JMIR Med Educ

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Background The exceptional competitiveness of the orthopedic surgery specialty, combined with the unclear impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on residency recruitment, has presented significant challenges to applicants and residency program directors. With limited in-person opportunities in the 2020-2021 application cycle, applicants have been pressed to gauge chances and best fit by browsing program websites. Objective The aim of the study was to assess the accessibility and content of accredited orthopedic surgery residency program websites during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods Using the online database of the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS), we compiled a list of accredited orthopedic surgery residency programs in the United States. Program websites were evaluated across four domains: program overview, education, research opportunities, and application details. Each website was assessed twice in July 2020, during a period of adjustment to the COVID-19 pandemic, and twice in November 2020, following the October ERAS application deadline. Results A total of 189 accredited orthopedic surgery residency programs were identified through ERAS. Of these programs, 3 (1.6%) did not have functional website links on ERAS. Data analysis of content in each domain revealed that most websites included program details, a description of the didactic curriculum, and sample rotation schedules. Between the two evaluation periods in July and November 2020, the percentage of program websites containing informative videos and virtual tours rose from 12.2% (23/189) to 48.1% (91/189; P<.001) and from 0.5% (1/189) to 13.2% (25/189; P<.001), respectively. However, the number of programs that included information about a virtual subinternship or virtual interview on their websites did not change. Over the 4-month period, larger residency programs with 5 or more residents were significantly more likely to add a program video (P<.001) or virtual tour (P<.001) to their websites. Conclusions Most residency program websites offered program details and an overview of educational and research opportunities; however, few addressed the virtual transition of interviews and subinternships during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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“…Taking general surgery as an example (before interviews were moved to an online format due to the COVID-19 pandemic), applicant portfolio scores were reduced the more years of postgraduate experience the applicant had at the time of applying. Currently, with self-scoring and online interviews, applicants’ self-assessment scores are divided by a number that gets higher the more years away they are from graduation, which would then decrease their overall score [ 21 , 22 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Another lost tribe: Quantifying the experience of international medical graduates applying for a national training number (NTN) in the United Kingdom with a cross-sectional study

Noaman

Dhahri

Mohammed

2021

Annals of Medicine &Amp; Surgery

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Background International medical graduates (IMGs) have a primary medical qualification obtained from outside their country of practice. In the United Kingdom (UK), postgraduate medical training after foundation years involves obtaining a national training number (NTN) in their specialty of choice by national selection. In this paper, we aim to quantify how IMGs feel to obtain an NTN and what unique obstacles they may face in doing so. Materials and methods A survey with a combination of closed and open-ended questions was circulated to IMGs via social media and text message. The survey was aimed at those IMGs practising at a middle grade (non-consultant) level, whether they had obtained a training number or not. Data collected included demographics, years of postgraduate experience before UK arrival, number of attempts at obtaining a training number, and the most significant perceived difficulty to obtaining a training number. We also asked whether difficulties in obtaining a training number would cause IMGs to contemplate changing specialty. Data from the survey responses were analysed using SPSS 22. Results Out of a total of 203 doctors approached, 197 responded, of which the majority were male. All responders had at least five years of postgraduate experience before relocating to the UK. Only 56 (28.8%) had a training number at the time of the survey. Almost all the responders had made at least one unsuccessful attempt to obtain a training number. In addition, 152 (76.6%) of responders felt that timely career progression in the UK was unlikely without having a training number. 57 (29.6%) of responders considered changing specialty due to inability to obtain a training number. Conclusion Obtaining an NTN remains a crucial goal among IMGs in the UK, despite the obstacles and repeated failures in doing so.

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The plight of COVID-19 pandemic on medical students and residency applicants

Cited by 24 publications

References 11 publications

Willingness to volunteer and readiness to practice of undergraduate medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional survey in Indonesia

Willingness to volunteer and readiness to practice of undergraduate medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional survey in Indonesia

Orthopedic Surgery Residency Program Website Content and Accessibility During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Observational Study

Another lost tribe: Quantifying the experience of international medical graduates applying for a national training number (NTN) in the United Kingdom with a cross-sectional study

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