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Review
. 2021 Mar-Apr;66(2):354-361.
doi: 10.1016/j.survophthal.2020.10.001. Epub 2020 Oct 12.

A virtual COVID-19 ophthalmology rotation

Sydney Wendt  1 , Zainub Abdullah  1 , Spencer Barrett  1 , Cyrus Daruwalla  1 , Jonathan A Go  1 , Brandon Le  1 , Elijah Li  1 , Chelsea Livingston  1 , Matthew Miller  1 , Lauren Nakhleh  1 , Joseph Pecha  1 , Shravya Pothula  1 , Swetak Pradhan  1 , Varsha Sathappan  1 , Alay Shah  1 , Alan-Michael Sonuyi  1 , Peter Ugoh  1 , Qiancheng Wang  1 , Nicole Weber  1 , Tony Succar  2 , Lauren Blieden  3 , Peter Mortensen  4 , Zachary Elkin  5 , Grace Sun  6 , Andrew G Lee  7
Affiliations
Review

A virtual COVID-19 ophthalmology rotation

Sydney Wendt et al. Surv Ophthalmol. 2021 Mar-Apr.

Abstract

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic temporarily suspended medical student involvement in clinical rotations, resulting in the need to develop virtual clinical experiences. The cancellation of clinical ophthalmology electives and away rotations reduces opportunities for exposure to the field, to network with faculty, conduct research, and prepare for residency applications. We review the literature and discuss the impact and consequences of COVID-19 on undergraduate medical education with an emphasis on ophthalmic undergraduate medical education. We also discuss innovative learning modalities used from medical schools around the world during the COVID-19 pandemic such as virtual didactics, online cases, and telehealth. Finally, we describe a novel, virtual neuro-ophthalmology elective created to educate medical students on neuro-ophthalmology foundational principles, provide research and presentation opportunities, and build relationships with faculty members. These innovative approaches represent a step forward in further improving medical education in ophthalmology during COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Keywords: COVID-19; medical curricula; medical student education; undergraduate ophthalmology; virtual learning.

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