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. 2020 Nov 10;31(1):101-108.
doi: 10.1007/s40670-020-01126-5. eCollection 2021 Feb.

Efficacy of Virtual Case-Based General Surgery Clerkship Curriculum During COVID-19 Distancing

Thomas H Shin  1   2 , Michael Klingler  1   2 , Amy Han  1   2 , Jennifer L Mocsiran  1   2 , Valery Vilchez  1   2 , Robert Naples  1   2 , Judith French  1   2 , Jeremy M Lipman  1   2 , Steven Rosenblatt  1   2
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Efficacy of Virtual Case-Based General Surgery Clerkship Curriculum During COVID-19 Distancing

Thomas H Shin et al. Med Sci Educ. .

Abstract

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic created a paradigm shift in medical education with a reliance upon alternative teaching methods to deliver meaningful surgery clerkship content. This study examines the efficacy of a novel, case-based virtual surgery clerkship curriculum to determine its impact on student experience during quarantine.

Study design: Sixteen third-year medical students enrolled in the General Surgery clerkship between April through June 2020 during COVID-19 distancing at a quaternary medical center (Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH) participated in this study. Course surveys, including a 10-question curriculum-based multiple-choice assessment, were administered before and after the clerkship. Analyses include student self-perception of readiness to see a surgical consult independently, students' interest in pursuing a General Surgery residency, and improvement of surgical knowledge.

Results and conclusion: On a 5-point Likert scale, students felt significantly more assured in their ability to independently assess a surgical consult by the end of the course. Five (31%) students reported an influence of the curriculum on their personal interest in a career in General Surgery. Mean scores on the curriculum-based knowledge assessment increased. These findings highlight that a virtual platform can be a reliable alternative adjunct that delivers surgical content and positively impacts student experience.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-020-01126-5.

Keywords: COVID-19; Clerkship; Medical student; Remote learning; Surgical education.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of InterestNot applicable

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Representative results from student participant responses to pre- and post-course surveys. a Subjective feeling of readiness to see surgical consults in the Emergency Department independently on a 5-point Likert scale. b Percentage correct on content-based knowledge assessment. c Post-course self-assessment of whether virtual clerkship curriculum has influenced participant’s interest in General Surgery. d Pre-versus post-course assessment of participant’s interest in pursuing General Surgery residency
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