#MedStudentCovid: How social media is supporting students during COVID-19.

WHAT PROBLEMS WERE ADDRESSED?

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) has disrupted medical education on an international scale with clinical attachments cancelled, assessments and teaching moved online, and numerous universities graduating final year medical students early to assist pressured health systems. As a result, several innovative educational projects and volunteering opportunities have been established to help care delivery and enhance remote medical education. Although universities and professional bodies have released guidance, a lack of uniformity has left many medical students with questions regarding early workforce entry, volunteering and completing his or her education.

WHAT WAS TRIED?

To address medical students' uncertainty over disjointed information and showcase student initiatives tackling COVID‐19, the Becoming a Doctor (BAD) team, a United Kingdom (UK)‐based national organisation supporting medical students, hosted a 1‐hour national Twitter discussion on Sunday 29 March 2020. Representatives from organisations including the General Medical Council, Health Education England, National Health Service England and the World Health Organization took part. Advertisement from these organisations and university representatives ensured national coverage, with formulation of key discussion points established via trending queries, research, and participants’ tweets. Participants used the hashtag #MedStudentCovid, establishing a movement to unite students following the discussion.

The discussion was comprised of four questions tweeted from @BecomingaDr. Participants then replied to each question using #MedStudentCovid so others could see his or her response. Twitter is well‐suited for learners of this age and can assemble representatives from multiple organisations, given the many stakeholders involved. As moderators, the BAD team collected student concerns and connected them with relevant organisations, rather than providing university‐specific information.

WHAT LESSONS WERE LEARNED?

The initiative was met with great success, receiving 1586 tweets and trending fourth in the UK on Twitter. The initiative has shone light on medical students' concerns as well as gathering information and organisations to address them. A common theme involved national differences in how medical schools involve students in tackling COVID‐19. Examples included volunteering in clinical settings, supporting healthcare staff through non‐clinical work such as grocery shopping and fighting misinformation. The discussion also provided a platform to share student‐led initiatives supporting health‐care workers.

Concerns were expressed over burnout, appropriate supervision and personal protective equipment. Many students also expressed that remote learning would impact his or her ability to develop clinical competencies. Students were relieved to see his or her worries shared by peers and discussed them before being addressed by relevant organisations. Using a large‐scale hashtag facilitated connections between professional bodies, faculty members and students, when it was otherwise difficult for students to coordinate individually.

It was challenging to ensure all questions were answered due to ongoing uncertainties presented by the COVID‐19 pandemic. The representatives allowed for up‐to‐date answers to student concerns. Although Twitter's character limit may have limited participants from fully expressing themselves, it allowed concise communication with a greater response rate. Many interim Foundation Year 1 doctors participated and have now formed a national network of incoming doctors, using #MedStudentCovid to ask questions and share resources. The movement has grown to encompass global examples of how medical students are contributing to help tackle COVID‐19, demonstrating an innovative use of social media to voice student concerns and highlight best practice.