The Negative Impact of COVID-19 on Medical Education Amongst Medical Students Interested in Plastic Surgery: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study

2021 
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in unpreceded changes to medical education Medical students interested in urology and neurosurgery have reported concerns regarding COVID-19's effects on clinical experience and the residency application process;however, the impact amongst students interested in plastic surgery is unknown We hypothesized that students applying into plastic surgery may experience much distress as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic Methods: An electronic survey was developed by 3 plastic surgery residents and 2 academic plastic surgeons and later refined by 4 fourth-year medical students Questions focused on medical education curricular changes, perceived impact on medical education, and demographics From April-May 2020 the survey was distributed to medical students who were interested in plastic surgery Participants were identified through plastic surgery residency program personnel and social media platforms Results: In total, 130 of the 140 respondents reported interest in plastic surgery careers An estimated 67% were in their clinical years or completing research year(s) before residency applications Of the respondents, 80% believed that the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on their medical education Clinical-level students compared with preclinical-level students, and students applying to residency during the 2020-2021 match cycle compared with students not applying during the 2020-2021 match cycle were significantly more likely to perceive the COVID-19 pandemic as having a negative impact on their medical education (P = 0 04 and 0 03, respectively) Conclusion: Medical students interested in plastic surgery perceive the COVID-19 pandemic as having a negative impact on their education, likely due to a reduction in clinical exposure © 2021 Lippincott Williams and Wilkins All rights reserved
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