Alternative Approaches to Clinical Practice in Medical Education During the Covid-19 Pandemic

The aim of this study was to propose alternative approaches to clinical practice that would be effective substitutes for traditional clinical practice at the bedside of patients during a pandemic. For this purpose, an alternative approach and a method of determining the effectiveness of its use in medical educational institutions were developed through the method of synthesis. The level of medical competencies acquired during clinical practice was also assessed. The effectiveness of the proposed alternative approach is determined through the Pearson’s chi-squared test and Cohen’s coefficient. This study showed that the distance learning can be introduced through the methods that will allow medical students to acquire the clinical skills needed to perform their professional duties. In particular, video discussions of specific clinical cases, viewing videos of clinical procedures, interviews with a virtual patient, video conferencing, electronic testing, etc. are effective. They allow students to acquire the skills and abilities to conduct a survey of patients, their physical examination, prescription of additional examinations, interpretation of the results, performing clinical procedures, making medical records and more. The results of this study suggest that clinical practice can be realized remotely, if necessary. And the proposed alternative approach to clinical practice allows students to develop the necessary clinical competencies for future professional activities. This study revealed the need for further research to develop methods for assessing the clinical competencies of medical students.