Adapting a first- and second-year medical student psychiatric interview course for virtual learning

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Psychiatry Training
• Telepsychiatry

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated the transition of psychiatric interviewing courses to virtual platforms.
• Telepsychiatry is established for patient care, but its efficacy in teaching psychiatric interviews is less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of remote learning on the quality of a psychiatric interviewing course.
• To compare student experiences in in-person versus virtual learning environments.

Main Methods:

• Student course evaluations from 2019 (in-person) and 2020 (virtual) were compared.
• Likert scales assessed student comfort in interviewing, discussing sensitive topics, and documentation.
• Qualitative feedback from students and faculty facilitators was incorporated.

Main Results:

• No significant differences were found in overall student experience or comfort levels between in-person and virtual formats.
• The virtual course successfully reduced student self-reported stigma associated with mental illness.

Conclusions:

• Virtual psychiatric interviewing courses offer a comparable learning experience to traditional in-person instruction.
• This remote model presents a viable alternative for institutions facing logistical barriers to in-person training.