Suspending Medical Student Clerkships Due to COVID-19

The effect of "clinical virtual round" on clinical self-efficacy among midwifery students

BACKGROUND

One of the methods of clinical education is clinical rounds which makes students more skilled in the comprehensive care of patients. since midwifery students are faced with low-risk and high-risk cases of mothers during the perinatal period, Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to their clinical self-efficacy. The aim of this study was to determine. The effect of "clinical virtual round" on clinical self-efficacy among midwifery students.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study was experimental with the control group design. The subjects were randomly divided into the intervention (n = 30) and control (n = 30) groups. two groups received clinical virtual round and report back model (respectively). subjects in both groups responded to the 20-item clinical self-efficacy Questionnaire, before and after the intervention. Data were analyzed with paired t-test and t-student by SPSS v 22.

RESULTS

The baseline mean ± SD scores for clinical self-efficacy in interventional and control groups were 10.1 ± 1.32, and 10.1 ± 3.05 respectively (P = 0.233). clinical virtual round increased clinical self-efficacy (65.1 ± 1.42) of midwifery students compared with the control group (11.1 ± 1.72) (P = 0.002).

CONCLUSION

According to this study's results, it is recommended that clinical virtual rounds can be increasing clinical self-efficacy among midwifery students.

The Use of Tele-Education in Medicine, During and Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Commentary

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a disease caused by a novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), emerged initially as an isolated illness in December 2019 and later progressed to a global pandemic. Hard-hit areas were lockdown, massively disrupting medical education activities. Tele-education, previously used as a means of long-distance education emerged as a solution in the field of medical education. Tele-rotations for medical students, journal clubs and lectures via Microsoft teams, medical conferences via zoom, residency, and fellowship interviews online, all emerged during this pandemic. Some medical students and trainees found it enjoyable, cost-effective, time saving, feasible, unbiased, and preferred mode of education. Challenges related to supervision, availability, affordability, diminished communication, disturbance of streaming, or distractions due to environment. Tele-education has had a boom in the era of COVID-19. Research is needed further on effective mentoring and supervision of trainees via tele educational teaching models.

The change of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical education in Korea: a national survey of medical schools

PURPOSE

This study aims to investigate how medical schools in Korea managed their academic affairs and student support in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and their plans for the post-COVID-19 era.

METHODS

An online survey was conducted, and a link to a questionnaire was distributed to all the administrators of the 40 medical schools in Korea. The final analysis data involved responses from 33 medical schools and 1,342 students. Frequency analysis, cross-tabulation analysis, Fisher's exact test, and one-way analysis of variance were applied for statistical analysis.

RESULTS

Regarding instruction methods, most medical schools in Korea transitioned from in-person learning to video-on-demand learning (51.5%) and real-time online learning (42.4%). Among the school leaders, 36.4% planned to continue offering online classes combined with in-person classes beyond the end of the pandemic. Among the students, the online class concentration and participation score was 3.0 points or lower, but the class understanding score was 3.6 points, above a moderate level.

CONCLUSION

Students cited the shorter times needed to attend school and being able to take classes repeatedly as advantages of online classes, and over one-third of medical schools intended to continue with a hybrid of in-person and online learning even after the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions end.

Virtual Clinics: A Student-Led, Problem-Based Learning Approach to Supplement Veterinary Clinical Experiences

The COVID-19 pandemic created an abrupt need for effective remote clinical experiences for senior clinical veterinary students. Subsequently, the authors created virtual clinics. This activity was derived from a problem-based learning (PBL) model wherein students designed clinical cases and participated through virtual role play as clients and clinicians. The purpose of this article is to describe virtual clinics and to report data from focus groups of participating students and faculty facilitators from two institutions regarding the positive and negative aspects of the shift in practice. A few common emerging themes included that case rounds were fun and engaging, students could learn at their own pace, and peer-to-peer learning opportunities had perceived value. Themes are reflected against the pedagogical literature to draw out areas that resonated. Students felt this activity was more engaging than listening to a discussion of a case they had no ownership of, and facilitators agreed that the peer-to-peer interactions added to student engagement. Additionally, students developed deeper knowledge about the underlying disease process and clinical presentation of their case, which required independent and self-directed learning, enabling students to think about a case from a client's perspective. By participating in these activities, students developed skills of classroom-to-clinic transitional value. While virtual clinics should not replace in-person clinical experiences, this activity might be useful to facilitate students' transition from a structured classroom setting to a less-structured clinical experience.

A qualitative assessment of medical students' readiness for virtual clerkships at a Qatari university during the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND

This study aims to qualitatively examine the readiness of medical students to change to virtual clerkship (VC) during the pandemic, from both the faculty and students' perspectives.

METHODS

A qualitative study was conducted based on the framework of readiness to change. Focus group discussions with students, and semi-structured interviews with clinical faculty members were done using appropriate online platforms. Transcripts were then analyzed using inductive-deductive approach.

RESULTS

Twelve themes emerged which are (1) Perceptions about the university's decision and its communication to students, (2) A Perceived lack of clinical experience, (3) Students' role as members of the medical team facing the pandemic, (4) Student safety, (5) Quality and design of VC and the skills it offered, (6) Belief in own ability to succeed in the VC, (7) Confidence that VC would reach its goals, (8) New enhanced learning approaches, (9) Preparing students for new types of practice in the future (10) Acquired skills, 11) Academic support and communication with faculty and college, and 12) Psychological support. Medical students showed limited readiness to undertake a virtual clerkship and not play their role as healthcare professionals during the pandemic. They perceived a huge gap in gaining clinical skills virtually and asked for a quick return to training sites.

CONCLUSION

Medical students were not ready for virtual clerkships. There will be a need to integrate novel learning modalities such as patient simulations and case-based learning in order to meet future demands of the medical profession and enhance the efficiency of virtual clerkships.

Assessment of Medical Students Burnout during COVID-19 Pandemic

This study estimated the prevalence of burnout and its determinants among medical students at Jazan University during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 444 medical students completed an online survey containing the Maslach burnout inventory. The prevalence of burnout was 54.5%. Burnout reached its peak during the fourth year whereas it was the lowest in the internship year. Being a resident in mountain areas, being delayed in college-level, being divorced, and having divorced parents were all associated with an increased risk of burnout. During their time at medical school, students generally showed a trend of consistently high scores in the personal accomplishment subscale, a decreasing trend in the emotional exhaustion subscale, and an increasing trend in the depersonalization subscale. The most important predictive factor was having separated parents. Perceived study satisfaction appeared to be a significant protective factor in a dose-response manner. These findings suggest that burnout among medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic is a concern that should be monitored and prevented.

Time Does Matter: Reduced Internal Medicine Clerkship Clinical Experiences Due to COVID-19

Introduction The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected medical education in many ways. The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) temporarily suspended clinical student rotations, calling for a transition to remote learning. Unfortunately, due to the heavy impact of COVID-19 in our South Florida community, medical students were not able to return to in-person activities for a significant time. During this period, students had remote clerkship learning activities, didactic sessions, narrative projects, and small-group learning sessions, which were front-loaded using Zoom technology (Zoom Video Communications, Inc., San Jose, California, United States) and web-based learning tools. Once in-person clinical experiences resumed, the duration of all third-year clerkships for the remainder of the year was reduced to five weeks to allow for timely graduation. The Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine (HWCOM) Internal Medicine (IM) clerkship has traditionally been an eight-week-long rotation. Other clerkships that varied from six to eight weeks were similarly reduced to five weeks. We hypothesized that the shortened duration of the IM clerkship would have negative impacts on National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) exam performance and clerkship clinical experiences would likely be affected. Methods We compared the NBME subject exam results and end of clerkship evaluations from the Class of 2021 (CO2021) which had the traditional eight weeks of patient care, with the CO2022, which had only five weeks of in-person patient care. A T-test analysis was performed comparing performance on the NBME medicine clinical subject exam between students who completed the usual eight-week rotation versus those who completed a five-week rotation. We also evaluated the IM clerkship course evaluation and analyzed student responses and ratings to assess any areas that were statistically significant when comparing the traditional eight-week IM clerkship to the shortened five-week clerkship. Results There was no statistically significant difference (t=0.68, p<0.4951) in mean NBME subject exam performance between cohorts. Students who completed the shortened five-week IM clerkship indicated there was limited volume and diversity of patients, which consequently affected their ability to complete all the required clinical experiences for the IM clerkship. These results indicated a statistically significant difference between the two cohorts (t =3.33, p<.001). Conclusion Students with shortened IM clerkship clinical care time (five weeks) were found to have no significant statistical differences in NBME subject exam performance compared to the traditional eight-week cohorts. However, students felt there was a decreased volume and diversity of patients, and they reported greater difficulties in completing the required clinical experiences, with diminished clinical confidence. Time does matter, and clinical time is very valuable for a student's undergraduate medical education. If another pandemic were to arise, the duration of different clerkships should be carefully assessed and individualized, and methods to assess and reclaim lost clinical time during the advanced clinical and postgraduate years should be considered.

From text to e-text: perceptions of medical, dental and allied students about e-learning

Objective

More than a year ago, Pakistan like the rest of the word, was hit by a global pandemic, due to which students of higher education had to accept the new era and adapt to the electronic learning environment for the very first time. This study aims to analyze the perceptions of medical, dental, and allied health students about e-learning in Pakistan.

Methods

A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted throughout the country. A pre-validated, anonymous online questionnaire regarding demographics, past-experience of e-learning, advantages disadvantages of e-learning, and general perception of students towards e-learning was distributed. Descriptive statistics were computed for all demographics. Chi-square test was used to compare the differences of perceptions between pre-clinical year and clinical years students. Chi-square was used to compare overall category-wise positive and negative responses of students. The association between participant demographics and their perception towards e-learning was also calculated using chi square.

Results

A total of 1200 students participated in the study of which 797 (66.4%) were from pre-clinical years and 403 (33.6%) were from clinical years. The major advantage identified by all students was the 'comfortable environment' (70%) and 'technical problems with IT equipment' was listed as the biggest disadvantage (89%) of e-learning. For preclinical year students, 'anxiety due to social isolation' was selected as the biggest issue (p < 0.05) whereas, for clinical year students, it was 'lack of patient interaction' (p < 0.05). Overall, 72% of students had a negative perception of e-learning.

Conclusion

After more than a year of online studying, medical and allied students of Pakistan have expressed dissatisfaction towards e-learning. Student-teacher training, student counselling sessions, and innovative techniques need to be introduced to enhance student engagement and reduce pandemic stress.

Health professional student's volunteering activities during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic literature review

Background

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis has forced health and education services to use additional human resources, such as health professional students. Students in the health professions, particularly those in the medical field, can participate in a variety of voluntary activities, both directly and indirectly in health services. The aim of this review was to determine the affecting factors, types of activity, and benefits of undertaking a volunteering role by the health professional student.

Methods

A systematic review of health professional student volunteering during the COVID-19 pandemic was conducted using seven databases: Epistemonikos, ProQuest, Scopus, EBSCOhost, JSTOR, Cochrane Library, and PubMed. This literature search included published articles from March 2020 through to December 2021 using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines.

Result

We included 41 studies that met the selection criteria that assessed the factors and specific programs related to health profession students' volunteering involvement during the COVID-19 pandemic era. The most frequently observed supporting factor of the eagerness to be a volunteer was the feeling of moral responsibility (such as social dedication, sense of duty, and care), potential learning opportunities, personal interest, and financial compensation. Factors that contributed to a person's refusal to participate in a volunteer position were the fear of COVID-19 itself (such as transmission, risk of being infected, and personal identification as a risk group).

Conclusion

The review of available literature has shown that understanding the motivation and barriers to the willingness of health professional students to volunteer and the impact of volunteering activities on their future lives is a key for supporting them.

Impact of the Texas-Wide Premedical Mentoring Program during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the usual processes and support systems related to applying to medical school in the United States. The Texas-Wide Premedical Mentoring Program (TPMP) was established to pair medical student mentors in Texas with medical school applicants attending Texas colleges and universities. Our objective was to demonstrate the effect of the TPMP on application preparedness and self-reported mental health outcomes of program participants. A survey was developed to understand the program's impact on both mentees and mentors. Participants were sent a survey link 3 months after the TPMP launch. In total, 313 participants, comprising 62% premedical student mentees and 38% medical student mentors, completed the survey. Mentees reported a significantly positive effect of the program on anxiety, uncertainty of acceptance, connection to medicine, and making the road to medical school seem less impossible. After participation, mentees felt less alone and reported a positive impact on their perception of the application process. The TPMP positively impacted the mental wellness of both mentees and mentors, and about 80% of mentors felt more fulfilled despite not participating in clinical duties in light of suspensions. In conclusion, program participation was associated with decreasing application knowledge gaps, easing anxiety, and providing alliance for mentees. The TPMP had a similarly positive influence on the mental wellness of mentees and mentors as well as contributed to medical student mentors' sense of fulfillment.

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Medical Education: A Cross-Sectional Study in the Western Region of Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND

As the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has made a tremendous impact on medical education and healthcare institutions, we aimed to measure effects of online classes on medical students' comprehension in comparison with attending campus classes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey has been conducted between September 2020 and June 2021 in the western region of Saudi Arabia. The Convenience sampling technique was conducted to collect the data from medical students in their basic and clinical years, using a questionnaire that involved 45 multiple-choice and multiple-answer questions.

RESULTS

Out of 3700 questionnaires, 922 completed the questionnaires from 11 different medical schools. Umm AL-Qura University had the highest response rate with 232 responses (25.2%), followed by King Abdulaziz University with 186 responses (20.2%). The majority of institutions preferred Blackboard and Zoom as platforms for e-learning. A total of 355 (38.5%) believed that it resulted in higher academic achievement, whereas 555 (60.2%) of students believed the limitation of clinical access was one of the biggest disadvantages of e-learning. Overall, 518 (56.2%) of students did not want to continue using e-learning on its own in the future. Whereas 668 (72.5%) wished to keep using e-learning in combination with traditional learning.

CONCLUSION

According to our findings, advantages of e-learning vary among students. Most of the students thought e-learning to be an interactive system that provides a learning opportunity. In contrast, many of the students believed that there were many disadvantages regarding online teaching methods.

Decline in Pediatric Shelf Examination Performance During COVID-19

Background

Medical student education has been impacted by the ongoing coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Medical students were removed from clinical settings, and the censuses in pediatric hospitals decreased. While there have been studies starting to evaluate these effects on medical students training in surgical subspecialties, the literature in pediatrics is limited.

Objective

This study analyzed third-year medical students’ National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) Clinical Science Pediatrics Shelf Exam scores at the conclusion of their core pediatric clerkship. We compared the exam scores before COVID-19 pandemic to those during the pandemic. We hypothesized that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic would have a negative impact on NBME shelf exam scores and that shelf exam failure rates would increase.

Methods

Institutional Review Board approval was obtained prior to initiation of this study. We conducted a retrospective review of medical student pediatric shelf exam scores from June 2017 to December 2020 from one large, single institution. We adjusted scores for block schedule timing and standardized them based on national norms published for the year prior. We compared two groups: those who completed their pediatric clerkship experiences before pandemic (predominantly in-person learning) vs. those who completed it during the pandemic (predominantly virtual learning). Groups were compared using chi-square and analysis-of-variance testing.

Results

We included 991 medical students, 772 before COVID-19 and 219 during COVID-19. Of these, 19 of 772 (2.5%) students failed the exam prior to COVID-19 compared to 19 of 219 (8.7%) during COVID-19 (p < 0.001). Students who completed their pediatric clerkship during COVID-19 were 3.77 times more likely to fail their end-of-clerkship NBME shelf exam (p < 0.001).

Conclusions

Students who completed their core pediatric clerkship in a predominantly virtual platform during the COVID-19 pandemic were significantly more likely to fail their end-of-clerkship NBME shelf exam. Increased failure rates may suggest issues with acquisition and retainment of pediatric medical knowledge throughout the clerkship, creating knowledge gaps in the foundation of their pediatric experience. Long-term effects of virtual learning platforms will need to be studied further.

Learning during the pandemic: Perspectives of medical students in Singapore

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly disrupted medical education, particularly affecting clinical-year students. Educational institutions often had to halt, shorten or impose significant restrictions on their hospital rotations due to strict infection control and social-distancing guidelines implemented in tertiary healthcare institutions, as well as manpower and logistical constraints amid the pandemic. Thus, distance-based learning platforms such as online lectures and case-based teaching were increasingly adopted in place of bedside and face-to-face tutorials. While interactive virtual case-based discussions are generally useful in imparting clinical reasoning skills to medical students, they are unfortunately not able to fully replicate the experience of clerking, examining and managing real patients in the wards, which is a quintessential process towards building clinical acumen and attaining core clinical competencies. Therefore, for final year medical students who are preparing for their Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) examinations, many are naturally concerned by how learning in this "new normal" may affect their ability to make the transition to become competent junior doctors. As such, we seek to share our learning experiences as the first batch of medical students to have completed our entire final year of clinical education amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and offer 4 practical suggestions to future batches of students on how to adapt and optimise clinical learning under these circumstances: actively engaging in virtual learning, making the most of every clinical encounter, learning how to construct peer teaching/practice sessions, and maintaining physical and psychological well-being.

Coming Together: How Medical Students, Academic Administrators, and Hospital Administrators Approached Student Volunteering During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic caused dramatic interruptions and shifts to medical education, but students at schools nationwide responded by volunteering to support their physician educators on the frontlines. Relationships between student leaders, school administrators, and hospital administrators were key to the successful creation and organization of volunteer responses. This perspective piece from medical students, as well as hospital and medical school leadership, explores the evolving relationships in the creation of Rutgers New Jersey Medical School's Student COVID Team. By reflecting on choices made by each group in parallel points in time, the piece highlights where interests and actions aligned and diverged.

Implementation and Assessment of a Novel Telehealth Education Curriculum for Undergraduate Medical Students

INTRODUCTION

Despite its healthcare advantages and expanded use during the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth is not included in many medical school curricula.

METHODS

In this prospective mixed methods study (n=52), we created a novel Telehealth Education Curriculum (TEC) for the third year Obstetrics and Gynecology (Ob/Gyn) rotation at New York Medical College during COVID-19. The TEC included supervised telehealth patient encounters via video conference [and a virtual Objective Structured Clinical Encounter (vOSCE)] designed to simulate a telehealth encounter (Zoom Video Communications, Inc.). We measured student perceptions of the TEC via two 4-point Likert surveys, which included free response questions, administered via SurveyMonkey between April and June 2020. Participation was voluntary and responses were de-identified. We computed means and response distributions across survey questions using SPSS; IBM version 19.

RESULTS

The response rate was 92% for both the Telehealth (33/36) and vOSCE (48/52) surveys. Seventy-six percent (25/33) strongly or moderately agreed that telehealth and in-person patient encounters have similar educational value. Eighty-three percent (40/48) strongly or moderately agreed the vOSCE provided a valuable patient interaction. Ninety-seven percent (32/33) strongly or moderately agreed the telehealth encounters should continue during COVID-19 restrictions versus 82% (27/33) agreeing they should be incorporated into the curriculumpost COVID-19.

CONCLUSION

Almost all students responded that the TEC should continue during COVID-19 and most agreed it should be incorporated into the Ob/Gyn clerkship permanently, after COVID-19. We found vOSCEs to be an effective method for teaching telehealth to medical students. Key challenges identified by students included adjusting to a virtual format, lack of body language, and communicating empathy virtually. Positive takeaways included practice with telemedicine and an opportunity for continued clinical education during COVID-19.

Educational leadership in the time of a pandemic: Lessons from two institutions

Over the course of a few weeks in March, COVID‐19 upended the daily lives of Americans. Academic Medical Centers became a center‐point for the response to the virus. Leaders within academic medical centers faced twin challenges of responding to the needs of the patients we serve while managing radical changes within their own institutions, including the educational mission. In this article, we describe some key themes identified and lessons learned as educational leaders during this time. We draw from the experiences of two institutions‐ one public and one private. These lessons learned fall into the broad categories of leadership decision‐making and communication and included the importance of principled decision‐making, a connected leadership team, and effective communication both within leadership and to the broader institutional community. The consequences of these responses resulted in a renewed recognition for us as educational leaders of the interdependence of our tripartide academic fates, the importance of academic medical centers as anchor institutions and advocates for our community, and the resilience and ingenuity of our students. We provide examples of these lessons and themes and make recommendations for how to approach educational decision‐making in the “new normal” of living with COVID‐19 for the immediate future.

Designing and Implementing a Novel Virtual Rounds Curriculum for Medical Students' Internal Medicine Clerkship During the COVID-19 Pandemic

INTRODUCTION

During the COVID-19 pandemic, third-year medical students were temporarily unable to participate in onsite clinical activities. We identified the curricular components of an internal medicine (IM) clerkship that would be compromised if students learned solely from online didactics, case studies, and simulations (i.e., prerounding, oral presentations, diagnostic reasoning, and medical management discussions). Using these guiding principles, we created a virtual rounds (VR) curriculum to provide IM clerkship students with clinical exposure during a virtual learning period.

METHODS

Held three times a week for 2 weeks, VR consisted of three curricular components. First, clerkship students prerounded on an assigned hospitalized patient by remotely accessing the electronic health record and calling into hospital rounds. Second, each student prepared an oral presentation on their assigned patient. Third, using videoconferencing, students delivered these oral presentations to telemedicine VR small groups consisting of three to four students and three tele-instructors. Tele-instructors then provided feedback on oral presentations and taught clinical concepts. We assessed the effectiveness of VR by anonymously surveying students and tele-instructors.

RESULTS

Twenty-nine students and 34 volunteer tele-instructors participated in VR over four blocks. A majority of students felt VR improved their prerounding abilities (86%), oral presentation abilities (93%), and clinical reasoning skills (62%). All students found small group to be useful.

DISCUSSION

VR allowed students to practice rounding skills in a supportive team-based setting. The lessons learned from its implementation could facilitate education during future pandemics and could also supplement in-person clerkship education.

An Educational Network for Surgical Education Supported by Gamification Elements: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

Background

Traditionally, medical students have learned surgical skills by observing a resident physician or surgeon who is performing the technique. Due to inconsistent practice opportunities in the clinical setting, a disparity of skill levels among students has been observed. In addition, the poor availability of faculty professors is a limiting factor in teaching and adequately preparing medical students for their clerkship years. With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, medical students do not have access to traditional suturing learning opportunities. Didactic courses are available on videoconferencing platforms; however, these courses do not include technical training.

Objective

Our overarching goal is to evaluate the efficacy and usability of web-based peer-learning for advanced suturing techniques (ie, running subcuticular sutures). We will use the Gamified Educational Network (GEN), a newly developed web-based learning tool. We will assess students’ ability to identify and perform the correct technique. We will also assess the students’ satisfaction with regard to GEN.

Methods

We will conduct a prospective randomized controlled trial with blinding of expert examiners. First-year medical students in the Faculty of Medicine of Université de Montréal will be randomized into four groups: (1) control, (2) self-learning, (3) peer-learning, and (4) peer-learning with expert feedback. Each arm will have 15 participants who will learn how to perform running subcuticular sutures through videos on GEN. For our primary outcome, the students’ ability to identify the correct technique will be evaluated before and after the intervention on GEN. The students will view eight videos and rate the surgical techniques using the Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills Global Rating Scale and the Subcuticular Suture Checklist as evaluation criteria. For our secondary outcomes, students will anonymously record themselves performing a running subcuticular suture and will be evaluated using the same scales. Then, a survey will be sent to assess the students’ acceptance of the intervention.

Results

The study will be conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and has been approved by our institutional review board (CERSES 20-068-D). No participants have been recruited yet.

Conclusions

Peer learning through GEN has the potential to overcome significant limitations related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the lack of availability of faculty professors. Further, a decrease of the anxiety related to traditional suturing classes can be expected. We aim to create an innovative and sustainable method of teaching surgical skills to improve the efficiency and quality of surgical training in medical faculties. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for such tools is imperative.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04425499; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04425499

International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)

PRR1-10.2196/21273