The Effect of COVID-19 on Attendance Rates in Pediatric Residency Training Educational Sessions

Residency education faced significant challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Programs had to adopt new methods to maintain high-quality education while adhering to social distancing restrictions. This necessity prompted medical training programs worldwide to change their learning routines dramatically. A notable shift occurred from traditional classroom lectures to online educational tools, with web-based learning becoming a key strategy to address these challenges.

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the transition to virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic on attendance rates at scheduled educational sessions in a pediatric residency program.

We postulated that the introduction of virtual lectures for residency training will increase the attendance of residents.

All pediatric residents exposed to in-person and virtual learning during the study period (October 2020) were included. Attendance records were reviewed, and data were stratified based on the year of expected graduation (Class of 2021 and Class of 2022). The attendance rate percent (ARP) was calculated as: (Number of educational sessions attended / Total number of sessions held) × 100. ARP during the prepandemic (traditional method; July-September 2019) period was compared with ARP during the pandemic period (virtual learning; July 2020-September 2020). Statistical analysis was done using chi-square analysis.

A total of 23 residents were subjects in the study: 11 from the graduating class of 2021 and 12 from the graduating class of 2022. In July- October 2019, with 54 lectures, the total expected attendance was 1,242 (23 residents × 54 lectures). In July-October 2020, with 62 educational sessions, the total expected attendance was 1,426 (62 sessions × 23 residents). The actual attendance was 451 (36%) in 2019 compared to 722 (51%) in 2020, a 15% increase (p < 0.00001). This increase was associated with the shift to virtual learning for both classes (p < 0.001).

Our results show a significant increase in educational session attendance rate among our resident group after the implementation of virtual learning, irrespective of their level of training. However, it is not a given that increased attendance is likely to result in increased knowledge and better clinical performance. Virtual learning should be considered a valuable educational tool for residency training.