The new challenges in the teaching of medicine.

The Covid 19 pandemic has greatly influenced the life and organization of universities in all areas, from teaching to research and the working life of all its staff. . For universities with medical schools, the impact was even more significant due to the stress to which hospital structures were subjected to practical teaching and practical activities for future doctors and specialists.

In a couple of weeks in early March, the closure of the universities required the transformation of all the courses and lessons remotely. – defined as remote emergency teaching – with great organizational effort for a system certainly not prepared for such a vast and sudden transition, also for a digital culture that does not spread uniformly in the teaching class, but which nevertheless allows that the vast majority of our students continue to receive adequate and continuous training.

The digitization of teaching activities (from simulation to different forms of scientific communication) will now be the key word that will allow us to face the beginning of the next academic year with more confidence.. And since great opportunities also arise from times of greatest crisis, we must harness these IT potentials to better prepare for the start of the next academic year.

In fact, given the persistent need for social distancing and difficulties in moving, especially for international students who are and could be at home, distance learning or a mixed or mixed version of it will continue to play an important role.. This means that the traditional form will also be resumed as soon as possible in presence, albeit in percentage terms, which is essential for life science teaching. The experience of these months has taught us that remote teaching cannot consist of the simple online transmission of the lesson in the presence of oneself, instead of some telematic methods. In fact, for this new phase it is necessary to refine the teaching techniques to obtain a good level of interaction with the students while keeping their attention alive, a certainly more difficult goal without direct contact and the empathic and gestural capacity of the classroom: but the Tools to do this are already available on the online platforms in use and should be fully utilized (small interactive groups, preventive homework assignments, embedded questionnaires). The figure of an educational manager will become increasingly central to the digital literacy of our teachers. And to improve the effectiveness of teaching, it will be very important to have evaluations of the students of these first months of experience, when the transition occurred with such fast times and modalities. At our university, the answers to a first questionnaire helped us a lot to increase student satisfaction and to involve them positively.

The choice of distance learning also implies addressing the problem of the digital divide, that is, the availability and quality of digital media and connection networks that are not yet homogeneous in the country and that are made more evident by the emergency. . The government has planned specific maneuvers and aid and we hope they will be available quickly. And while we wait for teacher pressures to decrease in teaching hospitals and they can safely welcome students for hands-on training, what can we do? Simulated teaching offers a great opportunity, that is, the complex of digital techniques and technologies that allow you to carry out and learn in a protected environment all the maneuvers (or skills) necessary for the future doctor.

Simulated activities are becoming more stable in doctor training: thanks to mannequins and technologies, students, specialists and professionals can practice safely.. As for pilots, simulation is a very useful tool: there are maneuvers that can only be learned by repeating them many times and, especially at a time when it is essential to ensure social distancing, simulators allow you to learn and improve in complete safety . Not to mention that maneuvers or techniques in this way can be learned in a standardized way, guaranteeing adequate and effective training so that students are prepared to face any emergency anywhere in the world. We also have the possibility to monitor learning skills with scientific findings and give feedback, to correct or integrate the exercises.

A form of teaching that should be improved especially for doctors in specialized training: at Humanitas University it is possible to access in small groups a specific simulation center, the CUBE, open every day 24 hours a day, to allow students greater freedom of attendance compatible with their working hours, which in recent months have been very demanding. Postgraduates who have demonstrated their full availability and vocation to work in this emergency, helping health personnel even in the areas most affected by the pandemic. An important challenge that will commit us all with the awareness of being able to manage a new scenario that is destined to last over time.