How to One Up a Pandemic: University of Minnesota's PM&R Virtual Clerkship - A Model for Alternative Clinical Training and Preliminary Validation Study.

ABSTRACT: Drastic and rapid changes to medical education are uncommon due to regulations and restrictions designed to ensure consistency amongst medical school curriculums and to safeguard student wellbeing. As a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, medical education had to break away from its conventions and transition from time-honored teaching methods to innovative solutions. This paper explores the anticipated and actual efficacy of the swift conversion of a specialty elective from a traditional in-person format to a fully virtual clerkship. In addition, it includes a non-inferiority study to determine where a virtual classroom may excel or fall short in comparison to conventional clinical rotations.