Medical Student Concerns Relating to Neurosurgery Education During COVID-19.

TitleMedical Student Concerns Relating to Neurosurgery Education During COVID-19.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2020
AuthorsGuadix SW, Winston GM, Chae JK, Haghdel A, Chen J, Younus I, Radwanski R, Greenfield JP, Pannullo SC
JournalWorld Neurosurg
Volume139
Paginatione836-e847
Date Published2020 07
ISSN1878-8769
KeywordsBetacoronavirus, Career Choice, Coronavirus Infections, COVID-19, Education, Medical, Female, Humans, Male, Neurosurgery, Pandemics, Pneumonia, Viral, SARS-CoV-2, Students, Medical, Surveys and Questionnaires
Abstract

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has created significant obstacles within medical education. For medical students interested in pursuing neurosurgery as a specialty, the educational policies surrounding COVID-19 have resulted in unique challenges. The present study used a nationwide survey to identify the concerns of medical students interested in pursuing neurosurgery during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS: Students who had previously registered for medical student neurosurgery training camps were sent an online Qualtrics survey requesting them to assess how the COVID-19 pandemic was affecting their neurosurgical education. The Pearson χ test and post hoc pairwise Fisher exact test were used for analysis of categorical variables, and the 2-tailed paired Student t test was used for continuous variables.

RESULTS: The survey was distributed to 852 medical students, with 127 analyzed responses. Concerns regarding conferences and networking opportunities (63%), clinical experience (59%), and board examination scores (42%) were most frequently cited. Of the third-year medical students, 76% reported ≥1 cancelled or postponed neurosurgery rotation. On average, students were more likely to take 1 year off from medical school after than before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, measured from 0 to 100 (25.3 ± 36.0 vs. 39.5 ± 37.5; P = 0.004). Virtual mentorship pairing was the highest rated educational intervention suggested by first- and second-year medical students. The third- and fourth-year medical students had cited virtual surgical skills workshops most frequently.

CONCLUSIONS: The results from the present nationwide survey have highlighted the concerns of medical students regarding their neurosurgery education during the COVID-19 pandemic. With these findings, neurosurgery organizations can consider targeted plans for students of each year to continue their education and development.

DOI10.1016/j.wneu.2020.05.090
Alternate JournalWorld Neurosurg
PubMed ID32426066
PubMed Central IDPMC7229732