COVID-19: Turning a Pandemic into a Learning Opportunity for Senior Medical Students

Authors

  • John C. Garman Penn State College Of Medicine, PA, United States.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/ijms.2020.759

Keywords:

Coronavirus, Sars-Cov-2, Medical student, Medical education, COVID-19

Abstract

Normally, the 4th year of medical school in the United States is when students narrow down their clinical experiences to reflect their interests, and prepare for applying to residency programs. The COVID-19 pandemic has made this process difficult, forcing many senior students from the frontlines to the sidelines. Policy changes have forbidden students from attending some in-person rotations and participating in operational procedures. The impact that COVID-19 has had on medical curricula varies between institutions, with many being hindered significantly by the event. However, my institution is using novel approaches to patient care, allowing senior students to help. Senior students are using telecommunication to connect with patients and assist them with their medical questions and needs. They are acting as Transitional Care Providers and Patient Navigation Assistants, allowing them to use their knowledge and skills to help both the patients and the healthcare system. Other students are acting as “COVID-19 case-trackers,” attempting to mitigate the spread of infections. By allowing students to take on these roles during the pandemic, institutions like mine are making this time one of valuable experience and learning. For some senior medical students, the COVID-19 pandemic, with all of its hardships, has become an invaluable learning opportunity and a chance to serve their community.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

Author Biography

John C. Garman, Penn State College Of Medicine, PA, United States.

BS, Medical Student

References

O'Connor-Terry C, Gowda T, Zuchelkowski B, Minney S, Kwon J. Medical Students Have a Powerful Role in Addressing Community Needs in the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Experience from the US. Int J Med Students. 2020 Jan-Apr;8(1):70-72.

Bonilla-Escobar FJ. Leadership and Health: The Scientific Journal’s Mission of Spreading Science in Times of Pandemic. Int J Med Students. 2020 Jan-Apr;8(1):9-10.

Găman MA, Ryan PM, Bonilla-Escobar FJ. To Stay at Port or to go to Sea: Are Clinical Clerkships a Double-Edged Sword during the COVID-19 Pandemic? Where do we go From Here?. Int J Med Students. 2002 May-Aug;8(2):92-95.

Coffey A, Mulcahy H, Savage E, Fitzgerald S, Bradley C, Benefield L, et al. Transitional care interventions: Relevance for nursing in the community. Public Health Nurs. 2017 Sep;34(5):454-60.

Lopez D, Pratt-Chapman ML, Rohan EA, Sheldon LK, Basen-Engquist K, Kline R, et al. Establishing effective patient navigation programs in oncology. Support Care Cancer. 2019 Jun;27(6):1985-96.

Tho PC, Ang E. The effectiveness of patient navigation programs for adult cancer patients undergoing treatment: a systematic review. JBI Database System Rev Implement Rep. 2016 Feb;14(2):295-321.

Loskutova NY, Tsai AG, Fisher EB, LaCruz DM, Cherrington AL, Harrington TM, et al. Patient Navigators Connecting Patients to Community Resources to Improve Diabetes Outcomes. J Am Board Fam Med. 2016 Jan-Feb 2016;29(1):78-89.

Grubaugh ND, Ladner JT, Lemey P, et al. Tracking virus outbreaks in the twenty-first century. Nat Microbiol. 2019 Jan;4(1):10-9.

Downloads

Published

2020-12-09

How to Cite

Garman, J. C. (2020). COVID-19: Turning a Pandemic into a Learning Opportunity for Senior Medical Students. International Journal of Medical Students, 8(3), 307–308. https://doi.org/10.5195/ijms.2020.759

Issue

Vol. 8 No. 3 (2020)

Section

Experience

Categories

License

  1. The Author retains copyright in the Work, where the term “Work” shall include all digital objects that may result in subsequent electronic publication or distribution.
  2. Upon acceptance of the Work, the author shall grant to the Publisher the right of first publication of the Work.
  3. The Author shall grant to the Publisher and its agents the nonexclusive perpetual right and license to publish, archive, and make accessible the Work in whole or in part in all forms of media now or hereafter known under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License or its equivalent, which, for the avoidance of doubt, allows others to copy, distribute, and transmit the Work under the following conditions:
    1. Attribution—other users must attribute the Work in the manner specified by the author as indicated on the journal Web site; with the understanding that the above condition can be waived with permission from the Author and that where the Work or any of its elements is in the public domain under applicable law, that status is in no way affected by the license.
    2. The Author is able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the nonexclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the Work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), as long as there is provided in the document an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
    3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post online a prepublication manuscript (but not the Publisher’s final formatted PDF version of the Work) in institutional repositories or on their Websites prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work. Any such posting made before acceptance and publication of the Work shall be updated upon publication to include a reference to the Publisher-assigned DOI (Digital Object Identifier) and a link to the online abstract for the final published Work in the Journal.
    4. Upon Publisher’s request, the Author agrees to furnish promptly to Publisher, at the Author’s own expense, written evidence of the permissions, licenses, and consents for use of third-party material included within the Work, except as determined by Publisher to be covered by the principles of Fair Use.
    5. The Author represents and warrants that:
      1. the Work is the Author’s original work;
      2. the Author has not transferred, and will not transfer, exclusive rights in the Work to any third party;
      3. the Work is not pending review or under consideration by another publisher;
      4. the Work has not previously been published;
      5. the Work contains no misrepresentation or infringement of the Work or property of other authors or third parties; and
      6. the Work contains no libel, invasion of privacy, or other unlawful matter.
    6. The Author agrees to indemnify and hold Publisher harmless from the Author’s breach of the representations and warranties contained in Paragraph 6 above, as well as any claim or proceeding relating to Publisher’s use and publication of any content contained in the Work, including third-party content.

Enforcement of copyright

The IJMS takes the protection of copyright very seriously.

If the IJMS discovers that you have used its copyright materials in contravention of the license above, the IJMS may bring legal proceedings against you seeking reparation and an injunction to stop you using those materials. You could also be ordered to pay legal costs.

If you become aware of any use of the IJMS' copyright materials that contravenes or may contravene the license above, please report this by email to contact@ijms.org

 

Infringing material

If you become aware of any material on the website that you believe infringes your or any other person's copyright, please report this by email to contact@ijms.org