A Shift in Medical Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has abruptly affected every aspect of people’s daily lives worldwide. Just like every other area, the medical field has been dramatically impacted by the need to care for a large number of patients while at the same time protecting staff, patients, and their families. Changes in the wake of the pandemic called for the prompt and extensive rechanneling and re-organization of resources. The pandemic has opened challenges and concerns for patient safety, starting with the early recognition that individuals, including medical staff, may spread the virus during the asymptomatic phase. Many healthcare facilities faced resource-limited settings, including challenges in the availability of personal protective equipment for healthcare providers. Additionally, the pandemic has disrupted medical education, both at the undergraduate and at the graduate levels, and according to many predictions, its effects may forever transform the ways medical education is delivered. In this chapter, we are exploring the history of medical education, describe changes in medical education experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, and predict some of the considerations worth taking into account when envisioning the future of medical education.