In order to assess what measures
have been taken by medical schools in different countries to deal with the
pandemic, we interviewed Ivan Covic, a 4th year medical student at the
University of Split, Croatia.
First of all, thank you for your willingness to speak
with us. How
did your university adapt when the coronavirus pandemic emerged?
My university did not take any
significant actions until the state declared lockdown. Following that decision,
they implemented a quick program of education that transferred "live"
teaching into the online sphere. The start was, to borrow a word, bumpy. It was
difficult for the professors, many of whom are in their late fifties (some
older), to successfully shift to online teaching. In the first months of the
pandemic (March 2020 - May 2020), the online lectures varied drastically in
their quality. None of the students had any "on hands" live practical
classes and that would have been a big problem, especially for med students, if
the lockdown held longer.
After the lockdown ended, the
University had more "free space" to organize classes. The next
measures and rules mentioned here were brought by the Medical School in Split.
The faculty stance was to follow
the global epidemiological guidelines and to preserve the live teaching process
for as long as possible. We shifted to smaller groups for our practical
teaching in hospitals. It was also implemented that we measure our body
temperature every day to see if we are fit to enter the hospital. Masks
were/are mandatory on campus and in closed spaces. The classical lecture where all the students
from one year would be present, were changed to lectures with 1/3 of the
student year and so forth.
What are the challenges and opportunities for medical
students during covid-19?
The biggest challenge I would say
is getting the opportunity to learn practical skills. Our student medial status
is not defined on a level where we could easily continue our learning process.
The biggest obstacle is that certain professors/doctors who are in charge to
teach us practical skills in a hospital setting can easily use the
"COVID-19 precautions" card and deny us from our practices. That
imposes a big problem because we have to rely on their good will.
I would also like to mention the
problem of blaming students for things that were once normal behavior. We are
called selfish or not serious enough if we try to continue with our lives as
normally as possible (without endangering anyone).
The biggest opportunity, in my
opinion, is seeing and experiencing firsthand the battle against COVID-19. We
had the opportunity to visit a COVID ICU, to see the process of decontamination
and to see how it is to work in such conditions.
What is the impact of covid-19 on your education?
The impact is significant, our
learning opportunities in a hospital setting are hit hard and we cannot
practice all of the skills we would have been able to if there wasn't a
pandemic.
Do you have practical classes at
the hospital? Is your faculty paying for protective material (masks, gloves,
gowns)? How is the ratio student:tutor:patient?
Luckily, we still have our
practical skills in the hospital, but as I already mentioned they have their
limitations. The university provided masks to students for on campus activities
and the faculty provided surgical masks for in hospital work (but not nearly
enough). We just received our protective visors, which are being handed out as
we speak. Regarding the student:tutor:patient ratio, as I mentioned above, it
has been reduced, but so has been the number of hours spent practicing.
Do you have autonomy to make clinical decisions?
We have limited clinical autonomy
and it usually involves some basic clinical skills (anamnesis, clinical check
up...)
Thank you, once again, on behalf of the magazine for your availability and
good luck for your journey!
Andreia Gi, 6º ano
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