MEDICAL STUDENTS AT A CROSSROAD: HOW MEDICAL SCHOOLS EDUCATE STUDENTS DURING A COVID-19 GLOBAL PANDEMIC

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted all sectors of society including medical education. Medical schools are faced with an ethical dilemma pitting quality of medical education against student safety and delivering quality patient care. This paper identifies the different participants affected by a medical school’s decision on how to educate their students, discusses the current context of the pandemic, and analyzes the different options medical schools have. This paper defines two phases of the pandemic whereby phase two is defined as the time period the scientific community has an adequate understanding of the risks associated with COVID-19 and hospitals have adequate personal protective equipment. Phase one is simply the time before both of those criteria are met, and is the time when medical students should not be allowed on in-person clinical rotations. During phase two, students should be granted agency to make the decision for themselves. Using the analysis of the current pandemic, the paper outlines how medical schools’ decisions should change for future hypothetical pandemics.