Adapting Simulation Education for Rural Medical Students During COVID-19

Abstract

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything about the world we lived in in 2020. It has had obvious impacts on the way we teach and the way we learn. Monash University provides clinical health education to around 130 third, fourth and fifth year medical students each year in a rural setting. By mid-March 2020 it was clear that substantial changes in delivery methods would be required to ensure the continuation of both placements and clinical education. In particular, there was a need to provide continuity of education for the final year students who needed to be ready to graduate as Interns by the end of the year. A key component of the final year is a capstone unit in clinical skills which has a strong emphasis on simulation-based scenario teaching. This unit was already in the process of adapting to changes in the curriculum when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, presenting clinical educators with the additional challenge of teaching a new curriculum in new ways. What began as a reaction to an unforeseen disruptor resulted in innovations that ultimately were extremely well-received by the students and will likely become new ways of teaching final year students into the future. Additionally, these innovations offer important alternatives for how to ensure continuity of clinical education during systemic disruption caused by pandemic.