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Going Virtual: A Virtual Summer Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Externship Experience for Medical Students
Leslie Rydberg1, Nethra Ankam, Carley N Sauter
1From the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois (LR); Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (NA); Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin (CNS); Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation and Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey (BAS); Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois (REK); and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland (RSM).
Abstract:
Opportunities for early medical student exposure to the field of physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) are desirable for promoting the field as a career choice and are useful for introducing students to the care of people with disabilities. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted medical education and caused the cancellation of many in-person clinical programs, including the Medical Student Summer Clinical Externship in PM&R supported by the Association of Academic Physiatrists. This article describes the process by which an in-person summer clinical externship program was effectively converted into a Virtual PM&R Experience using a combination of independent assignments and small-group sessions. A total of 87 medical students completed the Virtual PM&R Experience over two summers. The participants of the program met the program learning objectives, including enhancing their understanding of physiatry as a career and recognizing the medical and social issues that affect persons with disability.
