Students from the Bachelor's Degree in Medicine at UIC Barcelona have reached the end of the 2019-2020 academic year having successfully completed their work placements and fulfilled their learning objectives, in spite of the crisis sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced schools and universities to close and move all teaching online. 

 

Thanks to a pioneering clinical simulation tool developed by the Practicum Foundation, final-year students have been able to carry out their Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (ECOE) online, which are key to the students’ final assessment. Due to the pandemic, usual assessment methods, which are normally carried out on-site with the help of trained actors, were replaced by an online examination of virtual scenarios developed as part of a joint innovation project by several Faculties of Medicine in Spain and the National Conference of Medical Faculty Deans.

  

The exam was divided into five stages that presented different clinical scenarios using audio, video and questions.  The students then had to resolve ten clinical cases using the simulation tool Practicum Script, provided by the Practicum Foundation.  What’s more, these final-year students have been able to complement the work placements they completed at the beginning of the year by volunteering and providing active clinical support in healthcare centres. As a result, they have been able to complete two missions in one: help with the COVID-19 crisis and continue learning on the job.  

 

Medicine students from other years who have not been able to finish their work placements, have also taken the initiative to volunteer during the lockdown.  They have all been able to undertake activities, workshops and seminars online, allowing them to continue working on clinical interviews, handling medicine in primary healthcare and dealing with patients who have general, non-specific symptoms, managing emotions and prioritising intelligent values.