Medical students' preference for returning to the clinical setting during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objectives The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to widespread disruptions in the clinical education of medical students. In managing students' return to the clinical setting, medical schools face the challenge of balancing education, service and risk considerations. To compound this challenge, medical students may prefer not to re-enter during a period of great uncertainty, leading to substantive downstream sequelae on individual, institutional and national levels. Understanding students' views on resuming clinical experiences, therefore, is an important consideration. The purpose of this study was to assess medical students' preference for re-entering the clinical setting during the COVID-19 pandemic and to explore personal and environmental characteristics associated with that preference. Methods We conducted an electronic survey of currently enrolled medical students at the Duke-National University of Singapore Medical School, less than a month into the COVID-19 pandemic. Survey items were aligned with a conceptual framework related to medical students' preference for returning to the clinical setting. The framework consisted of three domains: (a) non-modifiable demographic information; (b) factors thought to be modifiable through the course of medical education, including burnout, tolerance for ambiguity, motivation and professionalism, and (c) students' perception of COVID-19 infection risk to self. Results Approximately one-third (n=63) of 179 students preferred not to return to the clinical setting. Results of a multivariable analysis indicated that compared to this group, the two-thirds (n=116) of students favouring return showed evidence of greater autonomous (or internal) motivation, a greater sense of professional responsibility and a lower self-perception of harbouring risk to patients. Conclusions Students' preference on returning to the clinical environment stems from the interplay of several key factors, and is substantively associated with perceptions of professional responsibility and their own potential risk to the health care system. Mindfully considering and addressing these issues may help medical schools in their preparation for returning students to the clinical setting.