コロナ禍での臨床留学

Neurology Training in the US During the COVID-19 era

新型コロナウイルス感染症の拡大は，米国での脳神経内科研修の体制を大きく変えるものとなった。未曽有の感染拡大の中で，患者と医療従事者の感染リスクを最小限に抑えながら，いかにレジデントの研修の質を確保するかが大きな挑戦であった。迅速かつダイナミックな変革が求められたパンデミック開始の時期を，チーフレジデントとしてどのように過ごしたのか，そしてそこで見たリーダーシップの在り方について報告する。

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on neurology residency education and services in the United States. The responsibility of residents was shifted from traditional house staff to frontline providers in the face of the pandemic. As such, a dynamic and rapid transformation was required, involving the development of strong leadership and teamwork skills, while protecting patients and providers from infection and ensuring the quality of education and training. Because of the increased demand from inpatient care and the risk of potential exposure to the virus, a modified rotation schedule was implemented by removing residents from outpatient clinics and minimizing their role in inpatient services. In order to maintain social distances, didactic lectures were conducted only via online platforms, and outpatients were only provided telemedicine. Although the pandemic has taken some of the in-person educational opportunities from residents, innovative changes including video conferences and telemedicine will likely continue to be used as a useful mode of medical training for residents. Herein, the author reports the changes made to the neurology residency program in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the evolution of leadership roles during this unprecedented time.