Page 30 - Layout 1

MEDICAL SCHOOL
EVALUATION & GRADUATION

Opportunities in Ophthalmology:

Connecting Medical Students and Residents

during a COVID-19 Crisis

By Christopher Zhu and Brandon Lam

As the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pan- mology also rose following participation and
demic surged in April 2020, unforeseen chal- overall, the program was deemed valuable. In ad-
lenges emerged against the old medical dition to benefitting medical students, residents
education paradigm, requiring adaptations to maintained their high level of comfort in men-
address the abruptly altered landscape of student toring students and speaking about ophthalmol-
training. Under the guidance of Dr. Lilian ogy as a career before and after the program.
Nguyen, Director of Medical Student Educa- Our residents also continued reporting high
tion at the Department of Ophthalmology at value regarding mentorship in ophthalmology
UT Health San Antonio, our team developed a and medicine at-large.
virtual program to match medical students and Under novel circumstances plaguing the
ophthalmology residents to address diminished globe, we were able to create a microcosm allow-
educational opportunities caused by COVID- ing for some continuity regarding medical edu-
19 in a field with already limited curricular ex- cation and mentorship in the relatively small
posure. We then measured the effectiveness of a field of ophthalmology. Our team observed stu-
program matching medical student mentees dent interest in ophthalmology increase as they
with ophthalmology resident mentors in the garnered the opportunity to develop career-long
hopes of promoting direct mentorship between mentors, providing exposure to the field of oph-
mentees and mentors and creating lifelong ca- thalmology which otherwise would not have ex-
reer impacts. isted during the COVID-19 pandemic.
All 22 of our medical students completed
program surveys four months apart, assessing at- Christopher Zhu is a medical student
titudes and available opportunities on a scale at the Long School of Medicine, UT
from 0 (none) to 10 (significant) regarding Health San Antonio, Class of 2023.
mentorship, pursuing ophthalmology, research
and how COVID-19 impacted these. All 9 of Brandon Lam is a medical student at
our participating residents likewise completed the Long School of Medicine, UT
surveys measuring attitudes towards mentorship Health San Antonio, Class of 2021 and
in the specialty and expectations regarding time is an incoming UTHSA Ophthalmology Resi-
commitment. dent.
We found from these surveys that while med-
ical students felt COVID-19 tangibly affected
available opportunities in ophthalmology at the
outset of the outbreak, their participation in the
mentorship program significantly increased
their overall access to shadowing and research
experiences in the specialty. Confidence among
students regarding their knowledge of ophthal-

30 SAN ANTONIO MEDICINE • June 2021