Orthopaedic Surgery Training and Education During COVID-19

Background:. COVID-19 forced surgical resident training programs to adapt to meet educational requirements within the constraints of various guidelines. Some of the changes implemented during the pandemic have imparted a lasting effect on orthopaedic education. As such, the purpose of this article w...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Zachary D. Randall, BS, Aravinda Ganapathy, MS, Andrew W. Kuhn, MD, Richard M. Silverman, MD, Paul M. Inclan, MD, Alexander W. Aleem, MD, FAOA
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer 2023-09-01
Series:JBJS Open Access
Online Access:http://journals.lww.com/jbjsoa/fulltext/10.2106/JBJS.OA.23.00034
_version_ 1827855965565747200
author Zachary D. Randall, BS
Aravinda Ganapathy, MS
Andrew W. Kuhn, MD
Richard M. Silverman, MD
Paul M. Inclan, MD
Alexander W. Aleem, MD, FAOA
author_facet Zachary D. Randall, BS
Aravinda Ganapathy, MS
Andrew W. Kuhn, MD
Richard M. Silverman, MD
Paul M. Inclan, MD
Alexander W. Aleem, MD, FAOA
author_sort Zachary D. Randall, BS
collection DOAJ
description Background:. COVID-19 forced surgical resident training programs to adapt to meet educational requirements within the constraints of various guidelines. Some of the changes implemented during the pandemic have imparted a lasting effect on orthopaedic education. As such, the purpose of this article was to review how orthopaedic training and education were affected during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods:. The published literature was queried using search strategies devised by a medical librarian, according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Studies eligible for inclusion were studies related to COVID-19, orthopaedic surgical training, and medical education. Studies were excluded if they (1) were abstracts, conference proceedings, letters, perspective pieces, reviews, or editorials; (2) evaluated medical student education; (3) included other specialties; or (4) were unrelated to COVID-19 and/or orthopaedic training. Results:. Eighty-three (n = 83) studies were included. Five themes emerged including (I) Fellowship Application, Interview, and Match Processes; (II) Social Media and Websites for Program Information; (III) Changes in Trainee Surgical Volume; (IV) Trainee Mental Health and Well-being; and (V) Innovations in Education. The pandemic decreased opportunities for medical students to gain exposure to orthopaedic surgery. Social media use, particularly Instagram, among orthopaedic residencies increased during the pandemic. Between the cancellation of away rotations and in-person interviews, applicants saved over $6,000; however, both residency applicants and interviewers preferred in-person interviews. The pandemic led to decreased surgical volume and in-person didactics for trainees, thus relying more on virtual learning. Orthopaedic trainees had mixed feelings regarding online virtual education. Although some respondents reported that they preferred the convenience of online learning, others expressed dissatisfaction with the quality of virtual education. Conclusions:. The shift to virtual learning affected how applicants learned about residency programs, with many relying on virtual away rotations and social media to compare different programs. The pandemic also highlighted issues of diversity and accessibility within orthopaedic surgery, with cost savings from virtual interviews and canceled away rotations potentially benefiting applicants from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Although some innovative approaches and adaptations to orthopaedic education and training have shown promise and may continue to be used in the future after the COVID-19 pandemic, the role of others, such as virtual interviews, is less clear.
first_indexed 2024-03-12T12:18:46Z
format Article
id doaj.art-75fb2b57f16640ca956c1ca6af4805de
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2472-7245
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-12T12:18:46Z
publishDate 2023-09-01
publisher Wolters Kluwer
record_format Article
series JBJS Open Access
spelling doaj.art-75fb2b57f16640ca956c1ca6af4805de2023-08-30T06:16:29ZengWolters KluwerJBJS Open Access2472-72452023-09-018310.2106/JBJS.OA.23.00034JBJSOA2300034Orthopaedic Surgery Training and Education During COVID-19Zachary D. Randall, BS0Aravinda Ganapathy, MS1Andrew W. Kuhn, MD2Richard M. Silverman, MD3Paul M. Inclan, MD4Alexander W. Aleem, MD, FAOA51 School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri1 School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri2 Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri2 Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri2 Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri2 Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MissouriBackground:. COVID-19 forced surgical resident training programs to adapt to meet educational requirements within the constraints of various guidelines. Some of the changes implemented during the pandemic have imparted a lasting effect on orthopaedic education. As such, the purpose of this article was to review how orthopaedic training and education were affected during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods:. The published literature was queried using search strategies devised by a medical librarian, according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Studies eligible for inclusion were studies related to COVID-19, orthopaedic surgical training, and medical education. Studies were excluded if they (1) were abstracts, conference proceedings, letters, perspective pieces, reviews, or editorials; (2) evaluated medical student education; (3) included other specialties; or (4) were unrelated to COVID-19 and/or orthopaedic training. Results:. Eighty-three (n = 83) studies were included. Five themes emerged including (I) Fellowship Application, Interview, and Match Processes; (II) Social Media and Websites for Program Information; (III) Changes in Trainee Surgical Volume; (IV) Trainee Mental Health and Well-being; and (V) Innovations in Education. The pandemic decreased opportunities for medical students to gain exposure to orthopaedic surgery. Social media use, particularly Instagram, among orthopaedic residencies increased during the pandemic. Between the cancellation of away rotations and in-person interviews, applicants saved over $6,000; however, both residency applicants and interviewers preferred in-person interviews. The pandemic led to decreased surgical volume and in-person didactics for trainees, thus relying more on virtual learning. Orthopaedic trainees had mixed feelings regarding online virtual education. Although some respondents reported that they preferred the convenience of online learning, others expressed dissatisfaction with the quality of virtual education. Conclusions:. The shift to virtual learning affected how applicants learned about residency programs, with many relying on virtual away rotations and social media to compare different programs. The pandemic also highlighted issues of diversity and accessibility within orthopaedic surgery, with cost savings from virtual interviews and canceled away rotations potentially benefiting applicants from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Although some innovative approaches and adaptations to orthopaedic education and training have shown promise and may continue to be used in the future after the COVID-19 pandemic, the role of others, such as virtual interviews, is less clear.http://journals.lww.com/jbjsoa/fulltext/10.2106/JBJS.OA.23.00034
spellingShingle Zachary D. Randall, BS
Aravinda Ganapathy, MS
Andrew W. Kuhn, MD
Richard M. Silverman, MD
Paul M. Inclan, MD
Alexander W. Aleem, MD, FAOA
Orthopaedic Surgery Training and Education During COVID-19
JBJS Open Access
title Orthopaedic Surgery Training and Education During COVID-19
title_full Orthopaedic Surgery Training and Education During COVID-19
title_fullStr Orthopaedic Surgery Training and Education During COVID-19
title_full_unstemmed Orthopaedic Surgery Training and Education During COVID-19
title_short Orthopaedic Surgery Training and Education During COVID-19
title_sort orthopaedic surgery training and education during covid 19
url http://journals.lww.com/jbjsoa/fulltext/10.2106/JBJS.OA.23.00034
work_keys_str_mv AT zacharydrandallbs orthopaedicsurgerytrainingandeducationduringcovid19
AT aravindaganapathyms orthopaedicsurgerytrainingandeducationduringcovid19
AT andrewwkuhnmd orthopaedicsurgerytrainingandeducationduringcovid19
AT richardmsilvermanmd orthopaedicsurgerytrainingandeducationduringcovid19
AT paulminclanmd orthopaedicsurgerytrainingandeducationduringcovid19
AT alexanderwaleemmdfaoa orthopaedicsurgerytrainingandeducationduringcovid19