SHORT COMMUNICATION COVID-19 and the World of Medical Education—A New Lesson Learned! Padmanabhan Karthikeyan 1 , Nikhil Sivanand 2 A BSTRACT Due to the global pandemic, this face-to-face physical engagement is not possible; therefore, we are able to recreate a similar environment with the advent of online teaching methods and the use of social media for the same. Distant education can ensure real-time face-to-face online studies with the aid of chat rooms while keeping at bay the real-time interaction. Teaching and assessment in classrooms have now been completely replaced by virtual classrooms. Keywords: COVID-19, Online classes, Medical education. SBV Journal of Basic, Clinical and Applied Health Science (2021): 10.5005/jp-journals-10082-03113 I NTRODUCTION Since ancient times, education laid emphasis on face-to-face physical transfer of wisdom and knowledge from the teachers. Due to the global pandemic, this face-to-face physical engagement is not possible; therefore, we are able to recreate a similar environment with the advent of online teaching methods and the use of social media for the same. 1 Distant education can ensure real-time face-to- face online studies with the aid of chat rooms while keeping at bay the real-time interaction. Classrooms have now been completely replaced by virtual classrooms. D ISCUSSION Virtual classrooms have played the most signifcant role in aiding in this e-learning experience through various online learning platforms, like Zoom, Google classrooms, etc. The advantage of these online platforms is that it has brought fexibility of learning in the comfort zones of homes using afordable technology and maintaining social distancing and prevention of the spread of disease simultaneously. Online classes enable the comfort of attending classes by any national or international faculties even without physical presence. Both students and teachers are new to this method of education and fnding ways to make this method close to the regular teaching process. Both students and teachers are in the learning phase for the same. Online classes have been ongoing for preprimary students to postgraduation residents since the pandemic struck and the subsequent worldwide lockdown. 2 Continuous uninterrupted internet connection is a major technical problem faced by both students and teachers, especially in a rural setup apart from the need for electronic gadgets and expertise in the same. With the advent of this newer modality of education, there is the emergence of a lot more complications also. The excessive use of these gadgets like mobile phones, computers, tablets, etc., cause physical and mental damage to children adding to the preexisting stress due to the pandemic itself. There can be an increased incidence of headaches, photophobia, strain to the eyes and the ears, fatigue, insomnia, and stress. 3 There can also be cognitive and behavioral changes which include distraction and lack of interest during the class. Interaction between teacher and student in the online platform is not face-to-face and students miss the opportunity to learn the importance of eye contact and body language which are of immense importance in the medical feld. The attention span of students is drastically reduced via online platforms and assessment cannot be done. There are many limitations of conducting medical education on an online platform. Theoretical aspects can be taught whereas clinical skills cannot. Already hospitals and the healthcare system are burdened with a surge in cases and difculties of managing the pandemic. So, doctors are already at the forefront of patient care and they are also involved in these online teaching programs. 4 Online teaching fails in training basic clinical skills for the medical students like checking the pulse, blood pressure, vitals, etc. Clinical scenarios can be given for teaching purposes but eliciting clinical signs and emphasizing their importance are next to impossible. Online simulation videos can be shown to the students but bedside examination and skill transfer can be done only once this pandemic is over and life gets back to normal. No amount of videos, pictures, or simulation can be equivalent to bedside clinical classes and skill transfer. 5 Minds of the students can be stimulated and the spark for the quest for knowledge be ignited. As this pandemic is expected to stay for the better part of this year and there are no clear instructions and notifcations on the reopening of schools and colleges in the near future, both teachers and students have to depend solely on online platforms. 6 Ill efects © Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers. 2021 Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and non-commercial reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated. 1,2 Department of ENT, Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute, Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University), Puducherry, India Corresponding Author: Nikhil Sivanand, Department of ENT, Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute, Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University), Puducherry, India, Phone: +91 8593920480, e-mail: nikhil.sivanand@gmail.com How to cite this article: Karthikeyan P, Sivanand N. COVID-19 and the World of Medical Education—A New Lesson Learned! J Basic Clin Appl Health Sci 2021;4(3):69–70. Source of support: Nil Confict of interest: None