Virtual Clinical Shadowing for Pre-Clinical Medical Students in an Emergency Medicine-Based Leadership Course

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Emergency Medicine
• Telemedicine

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted traditional in-person clinical shadowing for medical students.
• Pre-clinical medical education faced challenges in providing essential clinical exposure.
• Virtual learning modalities became crucial for maintaining educational continuity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the experience of pre-clinical medical students participating in remote virtual clinical shadowing.
• To assess the feasibility and educational impact of virtual shadowing in emergency medicine.
• To identify areas for improvement in virtual clinical education.

Main Methods:

• Six pre-clinical medical students in a leadership program participated in virtual shadowing.
• Students shadowed emergency medicine physicians in emergency departments and via telemedicine.
• Pre- and post-surveys were administered to evaluate the virtual shadowing experience.

Main Results:

• Virtual shadowing allowed safe participation across different U.S. time zones.
• Educational fidelity was maintained in physician-student relationships.
• Opportunities for improvement were identified in clinical learning, emergency department care, and telemedicine.

Conclusions:

• Virtual clinical shadowing is a viable alternative when in-person experiences are unavailable.
• This remote method can serve as a long-term educational option, particularly for telemedicine.
• Logistical adjustments can enhance the effectiveness of virtual clinical shadowing.