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How the COVID-19 Pandemic Has Affected Cardiology Fellow Training
Sabeeda Kadavath1, Dalia Hawwas2, Aaron Strobel3
1Department of Cardiology, University of Vermont Medical Center, Burlington, Vermont.
Insights
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted cardiology fellowship training, reducing procedure numbers and affecting fellows' emotional well-being. This opinion piece addresses these challenges and lessons learned for future practice transitions.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Medical Education
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic led to resource reallocation and deferred elective cases in cardiac catheterization labs.
- This significantly altered the training environment for cardiology fellows nationwide.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cardiology fellows' training.
- To discuss challenges faced during the transition to independent practice.
- To share lessons learned from this unprecedented period.
Main Methods:
- This is an opinion piece.
- It focuses on the experiences and challenges of cardiology fellows during the pandemic.
Main Results:
- Cardiology fellowship training was affected by diminished procedure numbers and a narrower case breadth.
- Fellows experienced emotional distress due to personal and professional impacts of COVID-19.
- Training disruptions pose challenges for fellows entering independent practice.
Conclusions:
- The pandemic created unique obstacles for cardiology fellows' procedural and emotional development.
- Addressing these challenges is crucial for a successful transition to practice.
- Lessons learned can inform future training adaptations in procedural specialties.
Abstract:
With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, resources have been reallocated and elective cases have been deferred to minimize the spread of the disease, altering the workflow of cardiac catheterization laboratories across the country. This has in turn affected the training experience of cardiology fellows, including diminished procedure numbers and a narrow breadth of cases as they approach the end of their training before joining independent practice. It has also taken a toll on the emotional well-being of fellows as they see their colleagues, loved ones, patients or even themselves struggling with COVID-19, with some succumbing to it. The aim of this opinion piece is to focus attention on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on fellows and their training, challenges faced as they transition to practicing in the real world in the near future and share the lessons learned thus far. We believe that this is an important contribution and would be of interest not only to cardiology fellows-in-training and cardiologists but also trainees in other procedural specialties.
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