Clinical Skills Learning Through Medical Students' Lenses, During and After a Pandemic - A Qualitative Study

The Coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused significant disruptions in medical education, particularly in clinical training, as students were restricted from direct patient interactions. This study explores medical students' experiences in learning semiology remotely and their perspectives on the role of online education in medical training. We conducted interviews with 16 medical students in their last year of study. Interviews were audio-recorded and the transcription was verbatim. Thematic analysis was performed. We identified four main themes: "Acquiring clinical skills during pandemic times", "Students' perception about semiology", "Mapping the role of online learning in medicine", and "Future perspectives for a better semiology learning". Students reported significant anxiety and fear regarding direct patient interactions, alongside a perceived deficiency in clinical skills. They mostly managed to overcome them during the following years. They considered that their teachers offered them as much as possible when it comes to the process of learning, giving the pandemic context. They were able to identify different traits of online learning when it comes to medical subjects except semiology. In some cases, they experienced a lack of understanding from their tutors in regard to their inadequate clinical skills. Programs should be implemented in order to consolidate COVID-19 students' clinical knowledge through residency. Online learning cannot be implemented for medical semiology, given the fact that hands-on procedures cannot be substituted.