The COVID-19 pandemic has forced medical schools and clinicians to transition swiftly to working online, where possible. During this time, final-year medical students at King's College London, England, have received some of their general practice teachings in the form of virtual tutor groups. The predominant feature of such groups is online patient simulations, which provide students a valuable experience to help gain insight into current clinical practice amid the pandemic and inform how their practices as incoming junior doctors would continue. Even in the absence of face-to-face teaching and clinical placements, students have been able to hone their medical knowledge and soft skills through these virtual, simulated consultations. They have been exposed to a new consultation style while in a safe and collaborative learning space. Here, we explore how medical students have benefited from these virtual tutor groups and how similar small-group online teaching opportunities can add value to the medical curriculum in the future.
Keywords: COVID-19; clinical education; curriculum development; education; medical student; personal characteristics; physician/patient relationship; professional development; simulation; telemedicine.
©Nadine Paul, Sae Kohara, Gursharan Kaur Khera, Ramith Gunawardena. Originally published in JMIR Medical Education (http://mededu.jmir.org), 18.11.2020.