Disruptions in Medical Education Catalysed by the Pandemic

On March 17, 2020, the AAMC announced changes in the medical education system in view of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic declared by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Since then, medical education has continued to experience a paradigm shift in its manner of delivery, methods of teaching, technology used, definition of classroom and clinical setting, and in how best to meet the needs of the nation’s rising students and junior doctors. The effects of the novel coronavirus have been far reaching and are proving to strain every facet of our system, including its effects on medical students and graduates and their resultant pathway into U.S. residency programs. In March 2020, students across the world experienced an unprecedented scenario of having all of their in person classes transition to an electronic platform. This measure was implemented in concordance with what the world had learned previously from the influenza epidemic: social distancing, closing down schools, and ultimately reducing the peak number of cases by reducing the transmission of the virus. [1] As students slowly transition back into the hospital setting after months of backlog or temporarily suspended examinations and exclusively receiving instruction via online and simulated learning, we are forced to wonder how are these changes affecting the inculcation of the six core competencies in medical students and residents? As per the American Medical Association Masterfile in 2020, International Medical Graduates constitute 24% of the total practicing physicians in the United States [1], and more than 6,000 participate each year in the NRMP Match. How are these changes going to affect the patient care delivered by these future doctors? Furthermore, what can be done to mitigate the effects of these changes and make an improvement in patient care?