Purpose: To develop and implement a comprehensive alternative to in-person Ob/Gyn clerkship during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Background: Public health policies of COVID-19 pandemic limited medical students’ clinical experience. We developed a Virtual OB/GYN curriculum (VOG-C) to provide an alternative clerkship experience, with utilization of 4th year medical students as teachers. No other such curriculums utilizing 4th years as teachers have been published.
Methods: Pre-rotation and post-rotation questionnaires evaluated 3rd year student perceptions and learning resources. Shelf exam VOG-C scores were compared to previous year (traditional). 4th years were surveyed on their teaching experiences.
Results: Prior to starting VOG-C, 23 of 29 students (79.3%) felt that COVID-19 would jeopardize their education. After VOG-C, 27 students (93.1%) rated the curriculum “good” or “excellent”.
All students felt VOG-C was well organized, comfortable and thought that 4th year student facilitators brought value to the curriculum.
After VOG-C, students felt more prepared for clinical rotation (pre 2.0 v post 4.0, p< 0.05) and shelf exam (pre 1.2 v post 3.8, p< 0.05) on 1-5 Likert.
Students in VOG-C performed as well as traditional on the shelf examination (VOG-C mean score 79 vs. traditional 77, p=0.27)
Discussions: VOG-C is an effective comprehensive learning avenue if traditional ObGyn clerkship experience is unavailable. VOG-C is useful for other emergency situations and components can be integrated into traditional clerkships. 3rd year student preparedness for shelf exams were comparable and student satisfaction was high. Utilizing 4th year medical students as teachers added to the education of both 3rd and 4th year students.
Topics: CREOG & APGO Annual Meeting, 2021, Student, Resident, Faculty, Clerkship Director, Clerkship Coordinator, Patient Care, Medical Knowledge, Professionalism, Systems-Based Practice & Improvement, Interpersonal & Communication Skills, Practice-Based Learning & Improvement, UME, Virtual Patient, Standardized Patient, Team-Based Learning,
Hanna Cundall, MD, University of California Los Angeles Medical Center; Isabel Janmey, MD, MPH; Malavika Kesavan, MD; Benjamin Yao, MD; corinne Bazella, MD; Brad Stetzer, DO
