Commentary on Medical Education after Experiencing the COVID-19 Pandemic
10.11307/mededjapan.54.6_555
- VernacularTitle:COVID-19パンデミックを経験した医学教育に関する論考
- Author:
Osamu FUKUSHIMA
1
Author Information
1. The Jikei University School of Medicine
- Keywords:
standards for establishing universities revised;
distance learning;
study logs;
competency-based;
Time-variable (CBTV);
student involvement
- From:Medical Education
2023;54(6):555-563
- CountryJapan
- Language:Japanese
-
Abstract:
In Japan, the standards for establishing universities were revised in September 2022. Universities have accumulated considerable experience through the COVID-19 pandemic, including in distance education. In this revision, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology has opened the door to implementing educational methods and credit recognition that were not permitted under the current ministry ordinances, as a 'special system' (Tokurei-seido). It is necessary for universities to accumulate the results of social experiments, such as the 'special system' (Tokurei-seido), and utilize them in future revisions of the standards. Overseas, the pandemic has spurred debates about whether medical students should be considered learners who need protection or as essential workers. In the UK, medical students graduated early and transitioned to clinical training sooner during the pandemic. This trend was in contrast to the United States, where medical students were isolated from clinical practices. The pandemic has disrupted the sequence of basic sciences, clinical sciences, and clinical clerkships. Medical students were unable to gain sufficient clinical experience during clinical clerkships. Despite the lack of study time in classrooms and clerkship rotations in clinical settings, medical students were promoted, graduated, and transitioned to clinical training. In this context, there are discussions about competency-based, time-variable (CBTV) education, which focuses on the competencies learners acquire rather than the amount of instructional time.
