Teaching medicine in pandemic times:an experience from mental health rotation

Abstract

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic led to the implementation of diverse safety measures in various aspects of society. Traditional inperson classes were canceled under this premise at all levels of education in Colombia, causing medical students to stop assis-ting to hospitals for their clinical practices. Objectives: Describe educational strategies applied to continue clinical rotations, securing the development of the necessary competences in the mental health program. Methods: The Medicine School’s clinical rotation on mental health started being instructed virtually and remotely using diverse technological tools after the Colombian government decreed a preventive lockdown. Mixed modality activities with real patients restarted once lockdown was partially lifted. We performed synchronous and asynchronous activities that included learning using technological resources, telesimulation, seminaries, workshops, case developments, and journal clubs, among others. Results: Virtual instruction generated personalized tutorship spaces, the design of adapted teaching strategies and novel evaluation mechanisms while maintaining the quality of learning. Conclusion: The change from traditional inperson education to a virtual learning produced multiple personal and technical lessons with the implementation of new methodologies and technological tools, obtaining favorable results in execution, evaluation, and psychiatry teacher’s and student’s satisfaction.

Keywords

• covid-19
• mental health
• pandemics
• student medical