Virtual teaching in the COVID era: Providing surgical core trainee teaching via online webinars and videoconferencing

During the COVID-19 pandemic, regular teaching for core surgical trainees (CSTs) in Northern Ireland was cancelled at short notice, leaving a significant gap in training. We aimed to develop an effective core surgical teaching programme, within the remit of government regulations, to ensure training was not negatively affected by COVID-19.

A novel virtual teaching programme was designed and implemented regionally across Northern Ireland. One-year free Affiliate Membership to the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) was provided for Northern Ireland CSTs, allowing access to RCSEd online webinars. A weekly teaching schedule based on the Member of the Royal College of Surgeons (MRCS) exam curriculum and accompanied by a webinar was created and disseminated to trainees. Senior surgeons were recruited to conduct a virtual teaching session via videoconferencing.

Ten teaching sessions were conducted over three months. Feedback was collated, with positive results and requests for virtual teaching to continue. As such, the Northern Ireland Medical and Dental Training Agency (NIMDTA) adopted the teaching programme as their new primary method of central teaching for Northern Ireland CSTs during the pandemic.

A novel, highly successful teaching programme was developed in Northern Ireland to meet the training needs of CSTs resulting in a sustained change to training. Virtual surgical teaching can be as effective as face-to-face didactic learning and may be imperative in a foreseeably socially distanced world.