Summary:
- Background: The status of Medical Education worldwide during the global outbreak of CoVID-19 and IFMSA plan to support Medical Education related Action during and beyond the outbreak.
- Important links: Medical Education Status Tracking Sheet
- Any questions or suggestions? please email to scomed@ifmsa.org
Dear NMOs, I hope my message finds you safe and sound,
I understand these are very stressful times for any medical student worldwide. So far, the SCOME International Team with the collaboration with NOMEs worldwide have been able to identify that 1972 medical schools in 72 countries have entirely suspended their Educational program: including courses, clinical training, and exams. As this unprecedented pandemic has hit us hard and quickly, it has proven that not only our health systems are not ready to manage it, but neither are our Medical Education Systems. Through conversations with NOMEs worldwide, we understood that many medical schools are currently figuring out and working on devising a plan to complete the Educational Program amidst the quarantine, and some are even lacking the resources to ensure the accessibility of the online courses to medical students.
I see it as an opportunity for all of us to work together as a global body in order to shape the voice of medical students on our Education during and beyond the quarantine: concretely speaking, the SCOME IT is currently drafting a survey to share among members worldwide to collect good practices and assess the attitudes of medical students towards Education during the pandemic, so as to create a report with recommendations you can use in your medical faculties and NMOs to meaningfully advocate and engage in shaping the Education beyond the quarantine. Additionally, the SCOME IT has developed a plan to engage members in the process of raising awareness on the role of medical students during the pandemic, whether through supporting healthcare delivery or through collaborating with their medical faculties. This plan includes, but not limited to:
- Keep tracking the Status of Medical Education during the outbreak: Using this tracking sheet shared with NOMEs worldwide. If your NMO is not represented in SCOME, you can still collaborate with us through updating it and sharing the status of Medical Education, as it is a global issue concerning all medical students worldwide. If there are any updates or changes, please do not hesitate to add them to your respective row.
- Developing an IFMSA global survey to assess:
- Students’ attitude towards the pandemic: to which extent medical students are aware of the pandemic and its stakes
- Students’ involvement in supporting healthcare during the outbreak
- Students’ level of exposure within healthcare facilities
- Students’ Education during and after the quarantine: what teaching methodologies are used? how exams are scheduled and implemented? how to shape Education after the quarantine is terminated?
- Create a global discussion forum on CoVID-19: through webinars and regional OLMs where members can share testimonials on the situation of their countries, struggles, and good practices.
- AM20: further plans for AM20 are being discussed as suggested earlier by IFMSA-China through developing sessions related to the topic.
I must also share that the SCOME International Team is very happy with your engagement around Medical Education in the light of this outbreak. For any global initiative on your behalf around the topic, please do contact us so we can centralize and join all our efforts as a global body of medical students, we’d be more than happy to collaborate with you. Lastly, we call upon you all to encourage and promote engagement with the Federation initiatives on the matter, as there is nothing that we cannot do together.
