As Zoom classes have become the norm, so has ingenuity.
David O’Dell, MD, recently led the adaption of a course called Internal Medicine 722 — IM722 – an advanced internal medicine elective course for senior medical students.
As a result of COVID-19, medical students were taken off clinic rotations from the middle of March till the end of June. In response to senior students’ interest in potential virtual clinical experiences, the UNMC COM Curriculum Committee approved a variety of rotations from multiple clinical departments for June 2020.
Dr. O’Dell, who also is the director of Phase 3 (essentially the senior year in the new COM curriculum), said rotations had to be done virtually.
“We were really pleased with the number of the departments that were able to adapt and offer a rotation for the seniors,” Dr. O’Dell said.
IM722 was one of those rotations/classes. Dr. O’Dell and Scott Neumeister, MD, both of the UNMC Department of Internal Medicine, have been teaching the class together for 15 years. The four-week class teaches concepts relevant for internal medicine.
There was enough interest for a morning and afternoon class. Students attended an interactive lecture and then broke into small groups of three to four students where they solved clinical cases by ordering tests (lab, X-ray, etc.).
“We had to figure out all the particulars — and so we wrote some specific ‘rules’ for Zoom classes and think those were essential to our success,” Dr. O’Dell said. “Challenges included getting up to speed with what Zoom could do and using it correctly to realize its potential.
“We also had to be flexible and look at things in different ways. The students were gracious when we did have a glitch and they seemed to appreciate our efforts.”
Dr. O’Dell said Jill Carnes-McIntosh of internal medicine was essential to the course, coordinating everything and getting the necessary info on Canvas.
“We recruited additional faculty to facilitate the small group rooms besides Dr. Neumeister and myself — special thanks to Drs. Nate Anderson and Jennifer Parker. We also recruited faculty to do the students’ Journal Club articles. When we needed to solve technical issues immediately, we got a lot of assistance specifically from Mike Kozak and Brett Coleman. It was a team effort.”
Dr. Neumeister said Dr. O’Dell deserves all the credit for making the ZOOM class happen.
“He did something fantastic for the students. It had never been done in this way. It was always done in person, in the classroom. We’re not the only ones doing this but it is a challenge. Still, it was just like doing it in person,” Dr. Neumeister said.
Taylor Ziegler, medical student, was one of the participants in the class.
“The COVID-19 pandemic may have forced our hand at learning in a virtual classroom, but the class went seemingly smooth,” he said. “I was still able to learn as much as I would have in person. I anticipate this technology is likely going to play a larger role in the education system at some point in the future.”