Lo Cody, Rai Amandeep, Micieli Jonathan A
Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
J Acad Ophthalmol (2017). 2021 May 27;13(1):e5-e10. doi: 10.1055/s-0040-1722740. eCollection 2021 Jan.
This study aims to survey medical students interested in ophthalmology about how changes in electives and Canadian Residency Matching Service (CaRMS) due to the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have affected their attitudes toward applying to ophthalmology residency. This is a cross-sectional survey. A total of 32 Canadian medical students interested in ophthalmology responded to the survey. A 32-question survey tool used was developed in consultation with medical students, academic ophthalmologists, and residency program directors. The survey was distributed through e-mail by local ophthalmology interest groups at all of Canada's medical schools. Respondents felt that changes in ability to travel for electives significantly decreased their likelihood of applying to ophthalmology residency. Additionally, respondents expressed concerns that lack of travel for electives and in-person CaRMS interviews significantly reduced their chances of successfully matching to ophthalmology. Respondents identified one-on-one video calls with program directors and residents as the initiatives that would best counteract the negative impacts from COVID-19. Increased presence of programs on social media were relatively less valued. Canadian medical students interested in ophthalmology have concerns about how changes in electives and the CaRMS match due to COVID-19 will impact their ability to be fairly assessed and successfully match to ophthalmology. Lack of travel for electives and interviews has also resulted in students feeling ill equipped to make informed choices about program selection. However, there remains a sustained interest in ophthalmology among applicants.
本研究旨在调查对眼科感兴趣的医学生，了解2019年新型冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行导致的选修课变化和加拿大住院医师匹配服务（CaRMS）变化如何影响他们申请眼科住院医师培训的态度。 这是一项横断面调查。 共有32名对眼科感兴趣的加拿大医学生回复了该调查。 所使用的包含32个问题的调查工具是在与医学生、眼科学术专家和住院医师培训项目主任协商后开发的。该调查由加拿大所有医学院校的当地眼科兴趣小组通过电子邮件分发。 受访者认为，选修课出行能力的变化显著降低了他们申请眼科住院医师培训的可能性。此外，受访者担心选修课缺乏出行以及面对面的CaRMS面试会显著降低他们成功匹配眼科住院医师培训的机会。受访者认为与项目主任和住院医师进行一对一视频通话是最能抵消COVID-19负面影响的举措。项目在社交媒体上增加的曝光度相对不太受重视。 对眼科感兴趣的加拿大医学生担心COVID-19导致的选修课变化和CaRMS匹配将如何影响他们被公平评估以及成功匹配眼科住院医师培训的能力。选修课和面试缺乏出行也导致学生觉得自己没有足够的信息来对项目选择做出明智的决定。然而，申请者对眼科的兴趣依然持续存在。
