Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on residents’ training experiences

Limited learning opportunities

Residents were redeployed to higher-need areas such as internal medicine, emergency medicine, and family medicine. For these redeployments to take place, core rotations such as pediatrics and anesthesia were canceled entirely for some. Opportunities to practise and improve procedural skills came to a halt due to a shift to providing virtual care and efforts to limit resident exposure during aerosol-generating medical procedures. Invasive procedures were delegated only to senior residents and staff, and the paradoxically low patient volumes equated to fewer opportunities to undertake many practical skills. Those practising telemedicine were unable to see or touch patients as part of their assessments. The development of the clinical gestalt that is required to judge the common dichotomy “well versus unwell” was undoubtedly lost over the telephone. Among those surveyed, 83% of those in senior positions (postgraduate year 2 or 3) believed they would not be able to recuperate these lost learning opportunities, as the peak of the pandemic mainly occurred during the final few months of their time as residents.

Silver linings

However, not all was lost through the crisis. As a group of trainees, we adapt to adversity and constantly strive to learn from any experience, good or bad. Through our survey, it was found that even though our fellow residents encountered a challenging environment, 70% did not believe their eventual readiness to practise would be affected. This is a testament not only to the residents’ resilience, but also to our mentors, who grasped every opportunity to create teachable moments and prepare us for future practice. Fortunately, 2 out of 3 residents also felt they were well supported by their program through the pandemic.

Many residents managed to find even more silver linings to the crisis. A total of 69% of participants believed they were now equipped to handle a future pandemic situation with new skills such as telehealth communications, personal protective equipment stewardship, and pandemic planning. As the world of medicine evolves, these new competencies will be an integral part of our day-to-day practice for the foreseeable future. Future pandemics will come, and those who trained through the COVID-19 pandemic will be more prepared, as they will have the skills required to maintain the health care system.