COVID’s impact on Education
Although the focus is on the patients and the community at large to treat and prevent the spread of the COVID19 disease, it has undoubtedly rattled the educational and training program of the residents especially the surgical specialty. The residents have a stipulated training time limit before they appear for their certification exams. To ensure that this unprecedented time does not weight a negative effect on the minds of junior surgeons and residents, the Indian Association of Cardiovascular-Thoracic Surgeons began organising a non-stop series of educational webinars for the educational, pedagogical & conceptual benefit of residents. The program is an on-going process, and has benefited the entire fraternity of cardiothoracic surgeons across the ranks, from professors, senior consultants to trainee-fellows, aside residents. To befit the experience, this educational series was named ‘Masterclass’ under the ambit of the Resident Academic Forum of the Indian Association of Cardiovascular-Thoracic Surgeons. This web-series has also benefited numerous other specialists which include cardiologists, radiologists, anaesthesiologists, critical-care, and paramedical colleagues from nursing, perfusion, anaesthesia technicians & biomedical engineers. To ensure that the quality of education and concepts meted out is maintained to the highest standard, faculty who excel in their subspecialties (documented by peer respect, publications, experience & interest for teaching) were invited to take part in the program. The program has been well-received by professions across the globe with 23 countries being part of the attendees. Three series on Lung & Heart-Lung Transplantation, Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery & Boot camp in cardiac Anatomy have been part of this expedition. During the first two months of lockdown (3rd March 2020 and 31st May 2020), a total of 154 webinars were conducted (Adult-Cardiac Surgery – 50, Congenital Heart Surgery 31, Thoracic Surgery - 44
Multispecialty & Allied sciences - 29).