Theme | No.b | Selected quotes |
---|---|---|
Development of skills | ||
Learned the clinical research process in a collaborative setting | 16 | “The [study team] was nice and professional…we developed a good rapport” “was my first time interacting with study team…extremely easy…[learned] about inclusion and exclusion criteria” |
Increased likelihood of engaging patients in trials | 5 | “I will feel more comfortable pushing for…clinical trials for my patients later on” |
Exposed to a new clinical dimension with increasing comfort | 25 | “Before this,…I had no idea how I would function as an intern. Now, at least, I have a gist of what my role is and how I will fit into the puzzle of my team” |
Improved readiness and decreased fear for residency | 26 | “the experience helped me feel more prepared going into residency…most helpful [were]…learning [the EHR]…to prescribe and knowing that pharmacy will review…learning to communicate with nursing…[it’s] going to be useful.” |
Patient Care | ||
Complex logistics challenged communication with patients and family | 16 | “we were told not to go into the [patient] room…[and to] call them instead... some patients I never saw…I had trouble calling the family and being a comforting source of info without knowing what the patient looks like” |
Patient care improved due to synergy within healthcare team | 35 | “the nurses…[who] were going in and out of the rooms were helpful...every morning we would talk about how the patients were doing…I got a much better feeling…I now had [multiple] points of reference to [help] determine [my plan]…[and] use to talk to the family about their loved one” |
Comfort with provider actions in EHR is paramount to success | 11 | “I got to put my first order in on an EHR that I was used to and for a patient that I had a lot of supervision on. It was really helpful to build my confidence...[I] feel a little better going into residency” |
Caring for very sick patients was challengingc | 24 | “The ICU was the most challenging aspect of it…even on a normal day outside of COVID [it is] outside of the scope of what a lot of us did in…our rotations. But paired with COVID…to start your career taking care of the sickest patients that some doctors with long careers have seen was daunting” |
Safety | ||
Supervision appropriate in most circumstances | 28 | “I could turn around and ask either one of the interns or the seniors any questions…they were very very willing to help me out and get me acclimated” |
Level of responsibility in the hospital was appropriate | 12 | “I personally felt the level of responsibility…was the same as I will have in a few weeks as an intern…I thought it was appropriate” |
Administration receptive to hear and address novel challenges | 12 | “it was expected that I care for 7 patients on my first day…it changed after that day to having 2 JPs and a resident on each team… [which] was much better.” |
Rarely lacked appropriate PPE though difficult to obtain | 21 | “the only issue that came across was gowns. We were given non-plastic gowns...other than that, we had many face shields, lots of masks” “N95s were not readily available to us but were easily given to us if we asked” |
Wellness | ||
Time for self-reflection in emotionally charged setting is imperative | 22 | “the…emotional toll of caring for these incredibly sick patients was very difficult and tiring. It was nice to have five days off to…process that all” |
Camaraderie with peers and residents was invaluable for personal wellness | 20 | “One of the greatest things was our attitude and willingness to help each other” |
Feelings of appreciation as healthcare providers helped tremendously | 18 | “I felt more appreciated as a JP than I ever felt as a medical student. For example, the food was provided super often and everyone was very helpful” |
Significant life alterations due to contact with contagious patients | 10 | “we ended up getting married [early]…and, he’s been living with my sister … and I was alone in the apartment and not putting my family at risk” |