Idle medical students review emerging COVID-19 research

Med Educ Online. 2020 Dec;25(1):1770562. doi: 10.1080/10872981.2020.1770562.

Abstract

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is causing wide-spread interruptions in medical education. With little warning, clinical rotations were cancelled and medical students were sent home. While pre-clinical students transitioned to online curricula, clinical students were left without discreet educational goals. Simultaneously, medical doctors were scrambling to maintain competence in the face of rapidly evolving COVID-19 information. Here, we describe an education program that integrates medical students into interdisciplinary teams to review emerging COVID-19 research that directly answers questions sent in by medical doctors.

Keywords: COVID-19; interdisciplinary education; medical education; pandemic; research; school interruption.

MeSH terms

  • Betacoronavirus
  • COVID-19
  • Coronavirus Infections
  • Curriculum / trends
  • Education, Medical / organization & administration*
  • Education, Medical / trends*
  • Humans
  • Pandemics / statistics & numerical data*
  • Pneumonia, Viral
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Students, Medical / statistics & numerical data*