Experience of the biggest Med School in Mexico during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

The coronavirus 19 (COVID-19) pandemic affected virtually all activities worldwide. One of them was education, especially Health Sciences. Globally, many medical schools ceased their face-to-face activities and implemented institutional reorganization actions. According to their characteristics and possibilities, institutions adopted diverse strategies and tools to continue providing their services online during this health crisis. These situations implied huge challenges, especially for certain regions, such as Latin America. This article exposes a quick overview of the pandemic experience at the biggest Mexican Med School (UNAM Med School): forecasting, reorganization, actions, challenges, and learnings. Among the most challenging situations experienced were: effective communication strategies; resistance to migrate from face-to-face activities to distance activities; technological development; students and teachers training to implement work and study in virtual spaces; students digital gap; internet and computers access; construction and application of online evaluations; online evaluation of practical skills, and the impossibility of maintaining students in clinical clerkships given the pandemic hazardousness. UNAM Med School was not only reorganized to provide integral care to its community, but it also participated in tasks for the health benefit of Mexico as well as for other countries. We had a huge amount of work, reorganization efforts and creativity resulting in very helpful innovations and new projects. This health crisis showed the best of our community. Actions will remain along the pandemic period and a progressive reincorporation to in-place activities at the end of the health crisis. Some strategies such as virtual activities within teaching, learning, work, evaluation and research will be maintained. When this situation ends, we will hopefully have learned and applied that new experiences to improve our Med School, transitioning into a stronger, more united, and enriched community after the crisis caused by this pandemic.

Keywords

• education
• adaptation to crisis
• school´s pandemic experience
• school´s administration change
• COVID-19