The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Pediatric Graduate Medical Education: Lessons Learned and Pathways Forward

Rebecca Blankenburg; Javier Gonzalez Del Rey; Megan Aylor; John G Frohna; Heather McPhillips; Ross E Myers; Linda A Waggoner-Fountain; Laura Degnon; Patricia Poitevien

doi:10.1097/ACM.0000000000004532

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Pediatric Graduate Medical Education: Lessons Learned and Pathways Forward

Acad Med. 2022 Mar 1;97(3S):S35-S39. doi: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000004532.

Authors

Rebecca Blankenburg¹, Javier Gonzalez Del Rey², Megan Aylor³, John G Frohna⁴, Heather McPhillips⁵, Ross E Myers⁶, Linda A Waggoner-Fountain⁷, Laura Degnon⁸, Patricia Poitevien⁹

Affiliations

¹ R. Blankenburg is president, Association of Pediatric Program Directors, and associate chair of education and clinical professor, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California.
² J. Gonzalez del Rey is past president, Association of Pediatric Program Directors, and associate chair for education and professor, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio.
³ M. Aylor is secretary-treasurer, Association of Pediatric Program Directors, director, Pediatrics Residency Program, and associate professor, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon.
⁴ J.G. Frohna is a past member-at-large, Association of Pediatric Program Directors Board, vice chair of education and director, Pediatrics Residency Program, and professor, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin.
⁵ H. McPhillips is a member-at-large, Association of Pediatric Program Directors Board, director, Pediatrics Residency Program, and professor, Seattle Children's Hospital, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
⁶ R.E. Myers is a member-at-large, Association of Pediatric Program Directors Board, associate director, Pediatrics Residency Program, and associate professor, Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio.
⁷ L.A. Waggoner-Fountain is a member-at-large, Association of Pediatric Program Directors Board, associate director, Pediatrics Residency Program, and professor, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Virginia.
⁸ L. Degnon is executive director, Association of Pediatric Program Directors, McLean, Virginia.
⁹ P. Poitevien is president-elect, Association of Pediatric Program Directors, director, Residency Program, and assistant professor, Hasbro Children's Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island.

Abstract

In this article, the authors describe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric graduate medical education (GME), including the impact on clinical experiences for trainees, teaching methods used, trainee wellness, GME leader wellness and support, and the traditional interview process. A thorough literature review was done to identify impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric GME. In addition, information was collected through Association of Pediatric Program Directors virtual cafes and conferences. Positive changes for GME from the COVID-19 pandemic included: the rapid transition to telehealth; asynchronous learning allowing for increased cross-program collaboration; innovative online teaching modalities; increased flexibility and decreased cost of online recruitment; and shared innovations across pediatric GME. Challenging aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic included: decreased learning about common childhood illnesses, such as bronchiolitis, acute otitis media, and influenza; decreased patient volumes and patient complexity in clinics and inpatient wards, leading to less practice developing efficiency, time management, and triaging skills; and an increased burden on trainees, including moral distress and decreased support from one another and other social supports. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted important opportunities in U.S. educational systems. As medical educators move forward, it will be important to learn from these while mitigating the negative impacts.

MeSH terms

COVID-19*
Child
Education, Medical, Graduate*
Female
Forecasting
Humans
Male
Pandemics
Pediatrics / education*
SARS-CoV-2*
Surveys and Questionnaires
United States