key: cord-0047527-rpeal5dd
authors: Antonoff, Mara B.
title: Commentary: Mentoring Trainees When the Going Gets Tough
date: 2020-07-13
journal: J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg
DOI: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2020.06.112
sha: fbff0e2de44548e85198c20b75512e7397f4066d
doc_id: 47527
cord_uid: rpeal5dd

nan

In this Expert Opinion, Dr. Boskovski and colleagues discuss ways to enhance thoracic surgical 9 trainee competence in the COVID19 era. 1 As has been elaborated by previous authors, this 10 pandemic has changed not only the ways that we live, work, and socialize-it has also changed 11 the ways that we, as academic cardiothoracic surgeons, engage in education. 2 We have 12 entered a time in which we must adapt to the needs of our trainees by developing innovative, 13 collaborative curricular strategies-which carry the potential to improve the efficiency, 14

versatility, and quality of our trainees' education long after the pandemic has ended. decision-making via telehealth, promoting academic success through remote research 23 opportunities, and using simulation to enhance technical skills. This article focuses expertly in 24 these areas; nevertheless, it's critical that we stay simultaneously attuned to the fact that there 25 are additional areas of mentoring needs for our trainees during this crisis. 26

As we consider the impact of the pandemic on a training environment and its ability to enable 27 acquisition of knowledge and technical skills of trainees, it is clearly enormous. 2 Such in-hospital 28 issues may pale, however, compared to those that occur outside of the training environment-29 3 yet still impact training. These additional influences on the trainees' ability to learn during the 30 pandemic include the trainees' personal health, whether they've been out of work (either ill 31 with COVID or quarantining due to exposure or family illness), and the detrimental impact of 32 family needs on time to study at home. Moreover, and perhaps even of greater importance, is 33 the fact that trainees may also be potentially balancing these direct educational issues with 34 finding food for one's family, caring for aging parents, weathering financial losses and/or loss of 35 partners' jobs, or facilitating distance learning for school-aged children. 36

Issues of work-life integration are of substantial constitutive need when it comes to mentoring 37 trainees, even during normal times, as they navigate concerns of family planning, childbearing, 38 and childrearing. 4 In a pandemic, such "every day" work-life balance questions are further 39 amplified. Beyond these anxiety-provoking stressors, trainees may be suffering from other 40 challenges to their mental health, including depression, heightened risk for addiction, grieving, 41 and post-traumatic stress. Outside of a pandemic, when it comes to overcoming adversity 42 during training, it's been shown that personal connections to mentors can help buffer the stress 43 and conflicts faced. 5, 6 During times such as these, certainly, the empathy, guidance, and 44 problem-solving support of mentors can be crucial. We can address both the educational and 45 external needs of our trainees during the pandemic by providing accessibility, attentiveness, 46 and emotional support. 6 47 Boskovski and colleagues have done a tremendous job of laying a foundation for how we can 48 use mentorship models to support the education of the cardiothoracic workforce during this 49 demanding time. While our trainees desperately need us to mentor them through the 50 4 curricular challenges of a pandemic, they also need-now more than ever-our mentorship 51 through these life challenges. 52

Enhancing Thoracic Surgical Trainee 56

Competence in the COVID-19 Era: Challenges and Opportunities for Mentorship

Cardiothoracic Education in the 59 Time of COVID-19: How I Teach It

Necessity is the mother of innovation-the time to collaborate is now

Mentorship: Vital to Women on Both Sides of the Relationship

Association of Women Surgeons

Thriving in scrubs: a qualitative 66 study of resident resilience

A Systematic Refiew of the Literature