Medical school education remains strong during COVID-19 pandemic


June 26, 2020

Written by: J. Chase Findley, MD

The COVID-19 pandemic has created tremendous challenges throughout every aspect of our society. More so than any time in our history, we have relied on the knowledge, skills, and dedication of our healthcare professionals around the world to protect us from the impact of this devastating illness.  Throughout this extraordinary time, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth and the Faillace, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences has remain committed to educating the next generation of physicians through our medical student education programs, and have adapted quickly to continue our tradition of excellence despite the great obstacles we face.

When the pandemic first began, impacting Texas in March, all McGovern Medical School students were dismissed from classroom activities and clinical training in order to both protect students, as well as to preserve resources and optimize social distancing in our clinical settings.  For students accustomed to the highly interactive nature of modern medical school education, this was a drastic change and life disruption.  Many students felt frustration and a sense of helplessness that they were unable to assist their faculty members and residents in caring for patients impacted by COVID-19.  However, despite their inability to assist in the clinical work of fighting the pandemic, many of our medical students found creative ways to support healthcare workers and the greater Houston community.  A group of students created the Covert Undercover Virus Response Team (CURVT), which organized students in a variety of activities including collecting personal protective equipment, and providing childcare and tutoring services to children of healthcare workers.  The efforts of these students both provided valuable services to the McGovern Medical School community, as well as demonstrated the deep commitment of our students to their supervisors and future colleagues in medicine. The contributions made by our students are even more impressive, given that they continued to have significant educational responsibilities during this time while their curriculum quickly transitioned to online learning.

Our third and fourth year students began returning to clinical rotations earlier this month, but have found that world of medicine is very different from the one they left months ago.  The requirements for personal protective equipment and social distancing have demanded creativity and adaptability from the clerkship directors and supervising faculty and residents to provide students with the clinical experience that they need to progress in their training and eventually care for their own patients.  All didactic teaching sessions have transitioned to online formats, which creates challenges in ensuring teacher-student interaction and group learning.  However, our “digital native” students have quickly embraced these new formats of learning and are continuing to excel in their medical education.

Our medical students will continue to face major disruptions to their education over the next academic year.  The majority of first and second year instruction will occur online, as will all interviews for medical student applicants.  Medical students will continue to face great obstacles in scheduling major examinations, including the USMLE Step 1, Step 2CK, and Step 2CS.  Fourth year medical students will not have the opportunity to complete “away” rotations at other institutions.  And finally, major educational milestones such as the White Coat Ceremony, Match Day, and Commencement have already been canceled, and are unlikely to resume in the near future.

Despite these myriad challenges and obstacles, I am continuously encouraged by the knowledge, abilities, and motivation of our students to continue their paths to becoming outstanding future physicians.  As a striking example, 18 recent graduates of McGovern Medical School made the decision to begin their residency in our Internal Medicine residency program a month early, in order to provide additional clinical services to their department in a period of great need. I believe that we should take the time to appreciate the choice made by our students to enter careers in medicine with full knowledge of the risk and uncertainty of our times.  Despite the darkness and confusion of our present days, McGovern Medical School students show us that the future of medicine remains as bright as ever.