Dataset Information

Virtual Radiation Oncology Clerkship During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond.

ABSTRACT: PURPOSE:We evaluated the impact of a virtual radiation oncology clerkship. METHODS AND MATERIALS:We developed a 2-week virtual radiation oncology clerkship that launched on April 27, 2020. Clerkship components included a virtual clinic with radiation oncology faculty and residents, didactic lectures, student talks, and supplemental sessions such as tumor boards and chart rounds. Medical students completed pre- and post-clerkship self-assessments. Faculty and resident participants also completed surveys on their experience with virtual lectures and clinics. Pre- and post-clerkship results were compared using a 2-sided paired t test. An analysis of variance model was used to analyze the clerkship components. RESULTS:Twenty-six medical students, including 4 visiting students, enrolled over 2 clerkship periods (4 weeks). All students completed the pre- and post-clerkship self-assessments and agreed that the clerkship improved their understanding of radiation oncology. Compared with 3 (11.5%) students who agreed that they understood the daily responsibilities of a radiation oncologist before the clerkship, 22 (84.6%) students agreed and 3 (11.5%) strongly agreed that they understood the daily responsibilities of a radiation oncologist after the clerkship (P < .0001). Although 15 students (57.7%) reported an increased interest in radiation oncology because of the clerkship, the mean level of interest in radiation oncology as a career remained the same, with pre- and post-clerkship scores of 3.0 (±0.9) and 3.0 (±1.1) on a 5-point scale, respectively (P = .7). Students found virtual clinic and didactic lectures to be the most valuable components of the clerkship. Most respondents agreed (30.8%) or strongly agreed (65.4%) to recommend the clerkship to their classmates. CONCLUSIONS:Our virtual clerkship was effective in increasing medical student interest in and knowledge about radiation oncology. These data will help optimize a new paradigm of virtual radiation oncology education for medical students during COVID-19 and beyond.

SUBMITTER: Sandhu N

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7462792 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Virtual Radiation Oncology Clerkship During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond.

Sandhu Navjot N Frank Jessica J von Eyben Rie R Miller Jacob J Obeid Jean-Pierre JP Kastelowitz Noah N Panjwani Neil N Soltys Scott S Bagshaw Hilary P HP Donaldson Sarah S SS Horst Kathleen K Beadle Beth M BM Chang Daniel T DT Gibbs Iris C IC Pollom Erqi E

International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics 20201001 2

<h4>Purpose</h4>We evaluated the impact of a virtual radiation oncology clerkship.<h4>Methods and materials</h4>We developed a 2-week virtual radiation oncology clerkship that launched on April 27, 2020. Clerkship components included a virtual clinic with radiation oncology faculty and residents, didactic lectures, student talks, and supplemental sessions such as tumor boards and chart rounds. Medical students completed pre- and post-clerkship self-assessments. Faculty and resident participants ...[more]

PMID: 32890529

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Project description:IntroductionWith the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals have been forced to follow strict social isolation guidelines. While crucial to control the pandemic, isolation might have a significant impact on productivity and mental health. Especially for researchers working in healthcare, the current situation is complex. We therefore carried out a survey amongst researchers in the field of radiation oncology to gain insights on the impact of social isolation and working from home and to guide future work.Materials and methodsAn online survey was conducted between March 27th and April 5th, 2020. The first part contained 14 questions intended to capture an overview of the specific aspects related to research while in isolation. The second (optional) part of the questionnaire was the validated Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), a self-reported measure used to assess levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms.ResultsFrom 543 survey participants, 48.8% reported to work full-time from home. The impact on perceived productivity, with 71.2% of participants feeling less productive, caused 58% of participants to feel some level of guilt.Compared to normative data, relatively high levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms were recorded for the 335 participants who filled out the HADS questionnaire. Group comparisons found the presence of a supportive institutional program as the sole factor of statistical significance in both anxiety and depressive symptom levels. People having to work full-time on location showed higher depressive symptom levels than those working from home. Anxiety scores were negatively correlated with the number of research years.ConclusionResults of the survey showed there is a non-negligible impact on both productivity and mental health. As the radiation oncology research community was forced to work from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, lessons can be learned to face future adverse situations but also to improve work-life balance in general.

Dataset Information

Virtual Radiation Oncology Clerkship During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond.

Publications

Virtual Radiation Oncology Clerkship During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond.

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