Reply: COVID-19 and Student Professional Identity.

I read with fascination the article by Byram et al. describing the impact of COVID‐19 on the development of medical students' professional identity. As a newly graduated foundation doctor during the COVID‐19 pandemic, I have fond appreciation of the strength and resilience of my health care colleagues who faced COVID‐19 with lack of resources, protective equipment nor effective management. The authors suggest that students resonate similar opinions of admiration, sharing that some are enthusiastic to ‘run toward danger’, ‘isolate’ themselves from family and friends and ‘pledge’ to be committed physicians to protect society.

However, I would like to alternatively propose that as a result of the suspension of clinical placements, students have not been able to observe the unseen effects of the pandemic which may affect their own professional identity. A study by Lau et al. reported that from a sample of 1257 health care workers, a considerable proportion reported symptoms of depression (50.4%), anxiety (44.6%), insomnia (34.0%) and distress (71.5%). This was further agreed by Shanafelt et al., who, using the Maslach Burnout Inventory, found that 45.8% of 7288 US physicians reported burnout through the pandemic.

Whilst the shift to virtual education has importantly protected students from infection and mental stress, it has minimised understanding of the challenges a pandemic can pose to a physician, thereby affecting formation of students' professional identity. Moving forward, it is imperative that health care colleagues and education facilities aim to share the raw challenges faced by the pandemic, allowing students once more to cultivate holistic views of their own professional identity.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The author has declared no conflicts of interest.

ETHIC STATEMENT

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