The Impact of COVID-19 on Trainees: Lessons Learned and Unanticipated Opportunities

Abstract

Dr. Emanuel Martin Papper was a Professor and Department Chair at Columbia University whose top passion was training the next generation of anesthesiologists. As such, a fitting topic for discussion at Columbia University Department of Anesthesiology's Papper Symposium was the "The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Trainees: Lessons Learned and Unanticipated Opportunities," presented by Dr. Roberta L. Hines, Nicholas M. Greene Professor of Anesthesiology and Department Chair and Chief of Anesthesiology at Yale-New Haven Hospital. The pandemic led to abrupt changes at the national, hospital, and training program levels, all of which impacted trainees in anesthesiology and other disciplines. Nationally, there were sweeping regulatory changes that helped to shape the coronavirus disease-2019 response by medical front line workers. At each individual hospital, coronavirus disease-2019 units were created and teams were restructured to keep up with patient care demands. Educational programs adapted their curricula and trainees lost valuable clinical and academic opportunities. The innovative educational responses, including a pivot to virtual learning and virtual recruitment, provided a silver lining to the health care crisis. Another bright spot was that anesthesiology as a specialty rose to the forefront of patient care. Anesthesiologists displayed impactful leadership during the pandemic, paving the way for future growth and broadened reach of our specialty.