COVID-19 Pandemic By Niva Shrestha, Sabrina Heath, Rachel Fray, Fatima Raza and Komal Sharma

Medical Students Reflect on Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic

By Niva Shrestha, Sabrina Heath, Rachel Fray, Fatima Raza and Komal Sharma

he past two years and future have been shaped and forever changed by the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2020—in a haze of confusion and fear—everything from schools to airports started closing. Closures included the nation’s 192 medical schools. Here, medical students from the University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine (UIWSOM) reflect on the educational, social, emotional,T mental and professional consequences of the pandemic.

“Even before the first day of class, the pandemic drastically affected my medical education. With everything online, it made establishing relationships with classmates a relatively unnatural process. I met most peers through meetings and breakout rooms on Zoom. Besides weekly clinical skills and anatomy workshops in the spring of 2021, my entire first year was virtual. Safety concerns prohibited students from accessing the clinical skills and cadaver labs on campus, inhibiting development of practical medical knowledge. Despite this, our class acquired a unique resiliency and developed telemedicine skills that will serve us well in the future.” –Sabrina Heath, MS2

“The pandemic took a mental and physical toll on everyone. I look back on my first year with fondness but also sadness for all the missed opportunities. Resuming weekly, in-person labs in January 2021 was exciting. While these initial handson experiences were incredibly helpful, I know many still feel behind from our year of virtual medical school. While nothing can change the past, my hope is that as time continues, future classes and professors alike will extend the same kindness, warmth and encouragement to each other now as they did before the pandemic. As future physicians, we owe it to our patients, peers and ourselves to prioritize our mental health and maintain our humanity and humility. We will not let the past hinder the care of our patients and medical community.” –Rachel Fray, MS2

“The pandemic began six months into my first year of medical school when I finally felt comfortable with my learning style and study habits. My class most acutely felt the total loss of normalcy. The stress of school was compounded by the added challenge of navigating a new learning medium. I learned the vitality of simple human interaction and found myself missing small daily exchanges. While no one can know what the future entails, I hope the past few years have made us more empathetic and appreciative of each other and the profession we are embarking on.” –Fatima Raza, MS3 “When the pandemic struck, I was moving back home to Austin and beginning my dedicated board prep. The stress of boards was already colossal and social distancing requirements led the testing center to cancel and postpone exam dates upwards of six weeks. My clinical rotations began the day after I completed my delayed exams. Fortunately, I only missed two weeks of my pediatrics rotation—a fate many of my peers did not experience. Many students had multiple canceled rotations, forcing them to make up rotations in their fourth year—a year busy with residency applications and interviews. This unavoidable restructuring caused anxiety and hindered our learning. We even struggled with our Zoom weekly didactic sessions. Being present for class was difficult and lack of interaction with peers was isolating. While I learned how to handle a new virus, I lost crucial aspects of my clinical experience.” –Komal Sharma, MS4

In retrospect, the advancements in virtual education made didactic learning challenging, but possible. The pandemic cost current students 18 months of clinical and practical knowledge. COVID-19 stretched students, educational institutions and hospitals to the limit, while also forcing medicine to be more accessible to future generations through virtual (cost-friendly) interviews. With telemedicine, hopefully health care will become accessible for many patients too. The pandemic also inspired and energized a new generation of physicians such that—according to the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC)— applications to medical school increased over 18% during the 2020 cycle. Applications grew around 3% per year over the last decade. The collective experiences of the past few years have spotlighted physician and student mental health, underscored the importance of human connection and created a stronger, more resilient future of doctors.

Niva Shrestha (MS2), Sabrina Heath (MS2), Rachel Fray (MS2), Fatima Raza (MS3) and Komal Sharma (MS4) are medical students at UIWSOM.