Cureus (03/10/2023) Dunn, Sarah; Milman, Brian D.; Bavolek, Rebecca A.; et al.

The Council of Residency Directors in Emergency Medicine (CORD) COVID-19 Educational Impact Task Force analyzed how the pandemic affected emergency medicine (EM) education in the United States using a survey that assessed undergraduate and graduate medical education (GME) and faculty and wellness. The survey was distributed to attendees of the 2021 Virtual Academic Assembly and CORD members, and 63 and 41 individuals responded to the first and second parts, respectively. First-part respondents highly ranked reduced financial burden, virtual platform use and new educational formats such as asynchronous learning as benefits. They cited limitations on clinical and educational experiences as the biggest challenge for EM learners, and referred to the pandemic's negative implications on acquiring medical skills and personal connections. GME members agreed that remote learning platforms and clinical innovation were boons to EM residents. Second-part respondents saw higher faculty engagement levels, educational innovation, greater committee involvement and financial savings as upsides to the pandemic. The main challenge for faculty was eroding personal and interprofessional connectivity, while the lack of boundaries with the virtual format left less room for work/life balance. The task force's recommendations include training faculty and residents on virtual platforms while emphasizing engaged learning in adult learners; fostering connections during times of isolation; improving access to mental health resources; boosting simulation experiences; and developing core educational content and a centralized EM archive for sharing such materials.

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