key: cord-0937525-9pc3u0p7
authors: Blankenburg, Rebecca; Poitevien, Patricia; Gonzalez del Rey, Javier; Degnon, Laura
title: Virtual Cafes: An Innovative Way for Rapidly Disseminating Educational Best Practices and Building Community During COVID-19
date: 2020-06-02
journal: Acad Pediatr
DOI: 10.1016/j.acap.2020.05.025
sha: bf9a783b7ea7d047ab18800915ce8df9f09553b0
doc_id: 937525
cord_uid: 9pc3u0p7

nan

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the medical education community's ability to teach learners.

Challenges have included altered clinical experiences (e.g., decreased patient exposure due to lack of personal protective equipment, decreased number of patients pre-surge, increased number of patients post-surge), disruptions to previously established teaching models (e.g., limited opportunities for inperson educational conferences, decreased availability of teachers due to clinical and organizational demands), wellness concerns (e.g., isolation, anxiety, depression), and an intense, highly pressured clinical learning environment. 1 

Twenty-four sessions occurred between March 26 and May 1, 2020, with a mean of 255 participants on "All APPD" Virtual Cafes (range: 164-395) and mean of 114 participants on other Virtual Cafes (range: 36-300). Through the Virtual Cafes, members shared 36 educational innovations, 11 clinical innovations, 52 wellness innovations, captured on our website (https://www.appd.org/home/virtual_cafe.cfm).

Multiple APPD members noted that these cafes resulted in significant changes in their approaches to educational, clinical, and administrative issues. Several members reported feeling more connected to other APPD members and more engaged with the organization as a result of the Virtual Cafes. One member commented "When I reflect on the COVID pandemic, what is most remarkable to me is how much MORE, rather than less, connected I feel with others. This is true of my residency leadership team, my APPD executive team, and all of APPD because of Virtual Cafes."

Virtual Cafes are a successful way to engage membership, build community, and quickly disseminate innovative educational practices. Though they were originally envisioned to help during the pandemic, we recognize the impact of this method of communication and dissemination and will be continuing it throughout the year. Next steps include adapting sessions to focus on new challenges and include more interactive features such as online polling. Future studies should evaluate the impact of Virtual Cafes on the number of new innovations incorporated into residency and fellowship programs, impact on trainee learning, and GME leaders' engagement in the APPD.

Education in a Crisis: The Opportunity of Our Lives

COVID-19 and medical education

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Pediatric Postgraduate Medical Education

The authors wish to thank the Association of Pediatric Program Directors membership for their engagement in and feedback about the Virtual Cafes.