2587 - Virtual Medical Student Education in a Post-Pandemic World: Lessons from a Multi-Institutional Virtual Radiation Oncology Clerkship
Presenter(s)
A. J. Eakin1, L. W. Wairiri2, E. C. Fields3, K. A. Kumar4, S. A. Rosenberg5, J. M. Frakes6, H. S. M. Park7, S. Rudra8, A. Parekh9, S. Beriwal10, Z. H. Rana11, P. Mohindra12, C. W. Williamson13, and J. M. Kahn14; 1Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, 2Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Washington - Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, 3Department of Radiation Oncology, Virginia Commonwealth University Health System, Massey Cancer Center, Richmond, VA, 4Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 5H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Department of Radiation Oncology, Tampa, FL, 6Department of Radiation Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, 7Department of Therapeutic Radiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 8Department of Radiation Medicine, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC, 9Department of Radiation Oncology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 10Allegheny Health Network, Pittsburg, PA, 11Maryland Proton Treatment Center, Baltimore, MD, 12Department of Radiation Oncology, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center/ Seidman Cancer Center, Cleveland, OH, 13UCSD Radiation Oncology and Applied Medicine, La Jolla, CA, 14Department of Radiation Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR
Purpose/Objective(s): The COVID-19 pandemic broadly impacted undergraduate medical education, with added pressure on smaller subspecialties that are not part of the "core” medical student rotation circuit. To broaden student exposure and evaluate prospective residents, these specialties, like radiation oncology, rely on elective rotations. Though we no longer face these same pandemic pressures, this study aims to learn from a multi-institutional virtual radiation oncology elective to evaluate what virtual components continue to be valuable in a post-pandemic environment.
Materials/Methods: An IRB approved virtual clerkship was created and implemented at 9 institutions, with both home and away rotators. The didactic curriculum included general and disease-site specific topics. Most of these rotations were completely virtual, while others adopted a hybrid approach. Virtual rotators were included in an in-person clinical workflow by using a tablet with telehealth software from the host institution. Each student was also provided with four standard contouring cases and received feedback from the course director prior to completing the rotation. Comfort with a variety of topics were evaluated pre- and post-rotation, and a standardized 48 question exam was administered at the end of the rotation. Clerkship directors were also able to give feedback on their experience.
Results: 132 students participated in virtual rotation curriculum at 9 host institutions between July 2020 and September 2023. Most students were in their 4th year (56.8%), and most had no prior experience in the field (72.7%). Most of these rotations were 2 weeks in length, but some were up to 4 weeks. Following the rotation, there was a statistically significant (p < 0.05) perceived increase in knowledge in multiple areas including the training path to become a radiation oncologist and contouring/treatment planning. Most course directors felt that implementing the virtual elective was “easy,” and 6 out of 7 noted that they would continue using the video curriculum for their in-person rotations.
Conclusion: A virtual clerkship model imparted valuable experience for both the students and host departments during the pandemic. Though in person rotations have generally replaced this virtual approach, the virtual model can continue to provide value and augment a standalone option to increase exposure to the field early on in medical student clerkships, and as an adjunct to existing audition rotations to maximize educational value and lower economic barriers of access for medical students interested in the field.