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. 2020 Jul 20;22(7):e19667.
doi: 10.2196/19667.

Unmuting Medical Students' Education: Utilizing Telemedicine During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond

Ariella Magen Iancu  1 , Michael Thomas Kemp  2 , Hasan Badre Alam  2
Affiliations

Unmuting Medical Students' Education: Utilizing Telemedicine During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond

Ariella Magen Iancu et al. J Med Internet Res. .

Abstract

Due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, medical schools have paused traditional clerkships, eliminating direct patient encounters from medical students' education for the immediate future. Telemedicine offers opportunities in a variety of specialties that can augment student education during this time. The projected growth of telemedicine necessitates that students learn new skills to be effective providers. In this viewpoint, we delineate specific telehealth opportunities that teach core competencies for patient care, while also teaching telemedicine-specific skills. Schools can further augment student education through a variety of telemedicine initiatives across multiple medical fields. The explosion of telemedicine programs due to the pandemic can be a catalyst for schools to integrate telemedicine into their current curricula. The depth and variety of telemedicine opportunities allow schools to continue providing high-quality medical education while maintaining social distancing policies.

Keywords: COVID-19; curriculum; education, medical, undergraduate; medical education; medical school; telemedicine.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: AMI is a member of the United States Air Force in the Health Professions Scholarship Program. The views expressed in this material are those of the authors, and do not reflect the official policy or position of the US Government, the Department of Defense, the Department of the Air Force, or the University of Michigan. There are no other disclosures to report for the remaining authors.

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