Education
Most of the current changes prioritize the safety of the patient,
provider, and trainee over any educational objectives. Clinical volume
is down and attending surgeons are performing most aspects of the case
to reduce duration. As a consequence, hands on intraoperative surgical
education is undoubtedly going to be negatively affected during this
time. The overall effect on resident and fellow competency caused by
this reduction in volume remains to be seen.
Similarly, educational course are being cancelled and/or postponed. For
example, our planned flap dissection cadaver course has been delayed due
to concerns regarding 1) violation of social distancing recommendations
and 2) potential viral transmission from fresh frozen cadaveric
specimens.
To balance some of the negative consequences, some aspects of medical
education are being enhanced. Residents are able to engage in research
endeavors, studying, and pursue alternative didactic opportunities.
Several multi-institutional virtual resident lecture series have sprung
up and provided trainees with new options for education.