Medical education during and after the COVID-19 pandemic: Challenges and changes in undergraduate and graduate education

Abstract

Objective: To review the current scientific literature on the challenges and changes presented in undergraduate and graduate medical education, before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A non-systematic literature search was conducted using the databases PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, Redalyc, Scielo, and Google Scholar. The search terms “educación médica,” “distanciamiento social,” “medicina familiar,” “Sars-CoV-2,” and “COVID-19” were used in Spanish. The search terms “medical education,” “social distancing,” and “family practice” were used in English. Results: A total of 23 bibliographic references were identified. Social distancing secondary to the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the structure, clinical training, and future of medical education. Conclusions: During the recent pandemic, the educational model in medical sciences was innovated, migrating from a teacher-centered model to a student-centered one. The recent global crisis in medical education with social distancing has been a catalyst for changes in the academic curricula of medical programs globally, according to these adaptations, Latin American medical schools should be at the forefront.