Implementation and Evaluation of a Formal Virtual Medical Student Away Rotation in Orthopaedic Surgery During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Haws Brittany E. , Mannava Sandeep , Schuster Bonnie K. , DiGiovanni Benedict F. 
Published: January 2022

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Introduction/Purpose:

Away rotations are a valuable experience for medical students when applying for residency. However, in light of the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, traditional in-person away rotations were largely suspended during the 2020-2021 residency application cycle. As such, there has been significant interest in the development of virtually-based substitutes. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the utility of a formal virtual fourth year medical student away rotation in orthopaedic surgery by surveying student, resident, and faculty participants.

Methods:

A two-week virtual orthopaedic elective was offered to fourth-year medical students from outside institutions in lieu of a traditional in-person away rotation. The course was conducted via online video conferencing and consisted of multiple components including nightly subspecialty case-based didactics, weekly social events with residents, assigned resident mentors, student case presentations, and the ability to attend the residency's daily conferences. Following course completion, anonymous surveys were administered to students as well as resident and faculty participants to evaluate the rotation. 23 of 24 participating students (96%) completed the student survey and 22 of 24 participating faculty and residents (82%) completed the resident/faculty survey.

Results:

Most students were very (87%) or somewhat satisfied (9%) with their experience and found the virtual rotation to be a very (35%) or somewhat useful (61%) substitute for in-person rotations. Students indicated the virtual rotation very (91%) or somewhat positively (9%) influenced their perception of the residency. All students indicated the rotation was very educational. Most students (91%) reported the rotation was very useful for learning about the program and culture, with the subspecialty didactics and happy hours being the most useful. Faculty and residents indicated the virtual rotation was useful for getting to know the students, with resident mentoring and case presentations most useful. Faculty and residents reported the rotation was useful for assessing student characteristics such as knowledge base and interpersonal communication skills. Students' qualitative responses highlighted the small group size, educational value, quality of interactions with residents/faculty, and opportunities for participation as positive features of the rotation.

Conclusion:

A well organized, formal virtual orthopaedic surgery away rotation can be a valuable experience for medical students that provides educational value, insight into a program's culture, and an opportunity to demonstrate interest in the program. Virtual rotations can also be useful tool for residencies to share information about their program and learn more about prospective applicants. Features such as dedicated subspecialty case-based didactics, resident social events and mentoring, student case presentations, and small group formats are recommended to maximize value.