Clinical support during COVID-19: An opportunity for service and learning? A cross-sectional survey of UK medical students.
Byrne MHV., Alexander L., Wan JCM., Brown MEL., Arora A., Harvey A., Ashcroft J., Clelland AD., Hayes S., Kinder F., Dominic C., Asif A., Mogg J., Freer R., Lakhani A., Pace S., Bandyopadhyay S., Schindler N., Brassett C., Burford B., Vance G., Allan R., MedEd Collaborative None., MedEd Collaborative Authorship None.
PURPOSE: Medical students providing support to clinical teams during Covid-19 may have been an opportunity for service and learning. We aimed to understand why the reported educational impact has been mixed to inform future placements. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of medical students at UK medical schools during the first Covid-19 'lockdown' period in the UK (March-July 2020). Analysis was informed by the conceptual framework of service and learning. RESULTS: 1245 medical students from 37 UK medical schools responded. 57% of respondents provided clinical support across a variety of roles and reported benefits including increased preparedness for foundation year one compared to those who did not (p