Open AccessVirtual Clinical Shadowing for Pre-Clinical Medical Students in an Emergency Medicine-Based Leadership Course
Author(s) -
Robert Tanouye,
Jodie Nghiem,
Kaela Cohan,
Jane Torres-Lavoro,
Kaitlin Schullstrom,
Mary R. Mulcare,
Rahul Sharma
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
telemedicine reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2692-4366
DOI - 10.1089/tmr.2021.0019
Subject(s) - telemedicine , medical education , health care , shadow (psychology) , medicine , psychology , medical emergency , economics , psychotherapist , economic growth
Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic limited pre-clinical medical students from participating in traditional clinical in-person shadowing. Rather than eliminating clinical shadowing from an established leadership course, we describe the experience of six pre-clinical medical students shadowing physician preceptors remotely through virtual platforms. Methods: Six pre-clinical medical students enrolled in 2020's Weill Cornell Medicine's Healthcare Leadership and Management Scholars Program were prepared with training materials for on-camera patient care. Students shadowed emergency medicine (EM) physicians providing clinical care in one of our New York Presbyterian emergency departments (EDs) and through telemedicine. Pre- and postsurveys were provided to these students. Results: From three different U.S. time zones, students were safely able to shadow EM physicians. The educational fidelity was maintained in physician-student relationships, but revealed opportunities for improvement in students' clinical learning, in ED clinical care, and in telemedicine visits. Conclusions: Virtual clinical shadowing is a viable option for pre-clinical students, when in-person options are not available. With logistical adjustments, this medium may be a long-term educational option especially for telemedicine.