Demonstrating the Value of Medical Education in the Covid-19 Era

Abstract

On March 11, 2020, WHO declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic. To protect and maintain the health and safety of its community, medical education institutions were required to restrict personal contact between medical educators and learners while continuing to provide high-quality education and training to the next generation of doctors. This was accomplished by shifting traditional face-to-face classrooms and in-person hospital clerkships to online or virtual formats. As society returns to normal, discussions are ongoing about the best modalities to deliver medical education post-COVID-19 – face-to-face, virtual, or both. To justify the adoption and expanded use of any instructional method, including the COVID-19 imposed virtual medical education, educators need to prove its value by demonstrating both its effectiveness and efficiency. This article describes an evidence-based evaluation framework that educators can use to measure and show the value of their education programs to key stakeholders in medical education.