Table 2 Themes and quotes organized by stakeholder group
Themes/ Stakeholders | Subthemes/ Quotes |
|---|---|
Perceiving Cues/ Medical Students | Changes in educational approach “Clinical clerkship is postponed during periods when the hospital is implementing patient restrictions and other measures. Even after clinical clerkship begins, direct patient contact training is not allowed during the period when COVID-19 is not settled. The curriculum was forced to be mainly observation-based.” Professional Development “I am concerned the lack of group activities and behaviors in the lower grades will lead to inadequate development of professionalism as a member of society or as a person rather than as a doctor.” Increased financial burden “As a private medical college, the high cost of tuition is a burden on students. We need to support students who are losing their part-time jobs and income.” |
Perceiving Cues/ Parents | Criticisms from parents “Parents complained at a time when a state of emergency was being declared. In addition, clinical clerkship started just before the end of the emergency declaration.” Concerns about code of conduct “Students are expected to comply with the medical college’s code of conduct, but there is no way to ensure their certainty and safety.” Perspective change about medical profession “Although medical professionals have been required by society to make a certain amount of self-sacrifice, from now on, the importance of managing and maintaining one’s physical and mental health will be emphasized as a professional. The content of altruism may have to be reviewed.” |
Perceiving Cues/ Medical Faculties | Excessive workload due to the limited budget and manpower “There is the issue of increasing the workload of the administrative staff due to the change in class format and securing a temporary budget for equipment preparation and other expenses.” Rapid transition to online educational environment “I believe that the paradigm shift stress regarding the way interpersonal relationships are built online and online from the era of face to face.” Awareness of cooperation with other medical colleges “I realized the importance of cooperation between colleges.” “The exchange of information by medical educators in the country was particularly important.” |
Perceiving Cues/ Government | Limited clinical clerkships associated with infection control “All clinical clerkships using off-campus facilities were cancelled. As a medical college, we have no experience at all with risk assessment and infection prevention measures for students resuming classes. There is a tendency to excessively restrict students’ participation in hospital training.” Fluid policy changes “The situation is changing so rapidly that the government’s instructions are being delayed. It is difficult to understand the government’s instructions and decisions regarding the handling of clinical clerkship at a distant environment and the determination of advancement and graduation.” |
Taking Actions/ Medical Students | Revising the curriculum in response to the online “The introduction of e-learning, which has been an educational challenge, should be accomplished within a specified period of time. We will consolidate the educational content that had to be revised as a result of this situation, including the clarification of educational goals.” Attentive online support “The medical college mailed the necessary documents to each student to prepare for the distance learning course, which the students used to prepare for the course. The advisors assisted students and made sure that all students were ready to take the course before the start of classes.” Creating alternative learning task “In case of absence due to illness, all face-to-face lectures are recorded to avoid disadvantages in terms of learning. Students can watch the lectures on demand. Even if a student is absent from a clinical clerkship, he or she is given an assignment and asked to submit a report for evaluation.” Setting up a working group with medical students “A public relation’s working group, in which students also participate, has been set up to examine how to accurately get information from the medical college to all students.” |
Taking Actions/ Parents | Communication of information “A new email newsletter has been issued to share individual student inquiries with the entire faculty and to promptly notify decisions made by the Academic Affairs Committee and other meetings. By the end of May, 13 issues of the magazine had been published, and almost all students had subscribed to it. It is helping to dispel anxiety in an environment that makes it impossible to go to medical college.” Thoughtful response through enhanced cooperation “We are cooperating each other to gather feedback from students about learning issues due to the continued presence of distance learning, and concerns of students and their families about the start of college to address those concerns appropriately. In preparation for the resumption of classes, an educational video on COVID-19 will be made for viewing by students as well as parents to encourage them to act with the right knowledge.” |
Taking Actions/ Medical Faculties | Provision of education to faculties “It is important to educate students about information literacy, but I also feel the need for faculty development to adapt to these changes.” Efforts to reduce the burden on faculties “Digital education, which has been a major issue for Japan up to now, is now being promoted across the board. From now on, we would like to develop more effective education through the effective use of digital education in combination.” Exploring educational policy through collaboration “I think it is important to make quick decisions and take action. In Japan, information sharing among medical colleges is also done quickly, which was very helpful. I don’t know how it is in other countries, but I think the network of medical educators in Japan is functioning well.” |
Taking Actions/ Government | Ensuring safety “The week of medical college attendance is determined by infection grade level. Check yourself for fever, wear a mask, and use a large room to avoid crowding. Also open the windows for ventilation.” Expanding Options “As a general rule, clinical clerkship is conducted only at medical college hospitals, and preparations are made so that clinical clerkship can be done while switching between on-site and off-site training, depending on the prevalence of the disease.” |