After Hours Training in ER

Background: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has reduced medical students’ actual experience in clinical practice [1–3]. For COVID-19 infection control between both patients in the wards and medical students, students are restricted from clinical practice in the wards. To overcome this obstacle, the emergency room (ER) of Shimane University Hospital, which admits 15,000 patients annually, provide medical students with opportunities to participate in the treatment of actual patients. Because the ER is independent of hospital wards, COVID-19 infection control measures are always in place. This environment allows students to take the same infection control measures as the medical staff, and thus, there is little need to limit their practical training. Explanation: Students participated in the “after-hours practice,” which is set between 6 PM and 11 PM, after their regular training in the curriculum. In 2022, approximately 30 students participated in the after-hours practice regularly. Description: Medical students had many opportunities to play the role of medical staff during initial consultations in the ER. Through actual clinical experiences, students gained not only a better understanding of diseases but also ideal manners for medical professionals. Furthermore, students were also able to work with both patients admitted to the ER as well as with those admitted to various departments. This allowed the students to be involved not only in the emergency care of patients with diseases in other departments. Moreover, students had great opportunities to understand the importance of collaborations and teamwork with other professionals, such as nurses, paramedics, and medical engineers. None of the students contracted COVID-19 through this training. Despite decreasing clinical training opportunities for medical students owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the after-hours training in the ER allowed students to enrich their knowledge and improve their manners as medical professionals in the actual clinical settings.

REFERENCES

• 1)  TMS Collaborative. The perceived impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on medical student education and training - an international survey. BMC Med Educ. 2021;21:566. doi: 10.1186/s12909-021-02983-3.
• 2)   Harries  AJ,  Lee  C,  Jones  L, et al. Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical students: a multicenter quantitative study. BMC Med Educ. 2021;21:14. doi: 10.1186/s12909-020-02462-1.
• 3)   ElHawary  H,  Salimi  A,  Barone  N,  Alam  P,  Thibaudeau  S. The effect of COVID-19 on medical students' education and wellbeing: a cross-sectional survey. Can Med Educ J. 2021;12:92-9. doi: 10.36834/cmej.71261.