👨‍⚕️📚 Medical school is demanding and challenging, but also an incredibly rewarding experience that prepares students for a career in healthcare.

🧠 Students can benefit from creating a structured schedule, setting goals, and maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

💡 Prioritizing self-care and seeking support from friends, family, and mentors can help manage stress and promote well-being.

👥 Collaboration and communication are essential skills for healthcare professionals to provide effective patient care.

📈 Continuous learning and keeping up with advancements in medicine are crucial for the ever-evolving healthcare industry.

Takeaways:

• Create a structured schedule and set achievable goals
• Prioritize self-care and seek support from others
• Develop collaboration and communication skills
• Commit to continuous learning and staying up-to-date with medical advancements.

Medical Students Adapt to Changes in Curriculum During Pandemic

Third- and Fourth-Year Students Return to Clinical Rotations Despite Uncertainty

As the public focuses on school openings in the fall, third- and fourth-year medical students are already back at their studies. Mollie Sivaram, a third-year student at the University of Toronto, says that while she had initial concerns, so far the program is going well.

“I don’t think I’m getting a lesser education, but it is definitely a different experience (from before the shutdown),” she says. “I think initially I was a little bit concerned. You have all these thoughts about is it going to be really different? There have been a couple of changes but some of it feels like the thing you left.”

Besides, says Sivaram, “How many doctors can say that they did medical school during a pandemic?”

The students have a limited window to learn core clinical skills and determine their future specialty – things not possible to do virtually.

Adaptations by Medical Schools

Dr. Patricia Houston at the UofT’s Faculty of Medicine says the school has a plan in place to ensure students get a proper education.

“A revised curriculum and rotation schedule was developed to ensure that all students obtain all the necessary competencies needed for progression in the program and graduation in the spring of 2021,” says Houston.

“This was an essential step forward for the next generation of healthcare providers, all of whom are ready to face new protocols and challenges with courage and skill, as our vigilance continues in the face of COVID-19.”

The Canadian Federation of Medical Students (CFMS) says that the medical schools have done a good job of adapting.

“Strong leadership and innovation from the medical schools in collaboration with students contributed to a quick, effective and proactive adaptation to the ‘new normal,’” says Adel Arezki, executive vice-president of the CFMS.

“In general, students have been very positive about how things are going and we are optimistic that schools have worked to ensure effects on overall quality on education are minimal.”

At McMaster’s Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, third-year students returned to classes on July 6 and have picked up from where they left off in their clinical rotations back in March, says Assistant Dean Dr. Rob Whyte.

The Challenges of Adapting Medical Education

Whyte says that while most of the program’s content can be “readily and effectively” moved online, learning to provide direct patient care “does not translate as easily.”

At the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM), Dr. Sarita Verma, the school’s dean, president and CEO, says that for the safety and health of its students, the school will try a “blended education model” that includes structured in-person clinical and laboratory sessions as well as online group sessions and community-focused learning.

Tuition

However, despite the move to online classes, there will be no change to the tuition rate for medical schools. Houston says this is because “academic programs continue to be delivered through alternative means and we are making significant investments in virtual learning and educational supports.”

Rishi Bansal, a first-year student in McMaster’s program, says that while he understands why tuition needs to remain the same, he hopes some of the money is directed to online learning.

“Doing a rapid curriculum redesign and restructuring and trying to make sure that all aspects are valuable online is going to be time and resource-intensive so I understand it from that perspective,” Bansal says. “I just hope that the tools and platforms that they have invested in will live up to that expectation.”

Rishi adds that he is looking forward to the opportunities that come from being a medical student during a pandemic.

“I feel lucky to be stepping into the field in such a key moment in history,” he says.