key: cord-1022238-u0ht09s2
authors: Adusumilli, Nagasai C.; Eleryan, Misty; Tanner, Shelly; Friedman, Adam J.
title: Third year Dermatology Resident Anxiety in the Era of COVID-19
date: 2020-06-15
journal: J Am Acad Dermatol
DOI: 10.1016/j.jaad.2020.06.029
sha: 28f403ed4c8a2ba981c614f4c6e4c700bdc61c77
doc_id: 1022238
cord_uid: u0ht09s2

nan

To the Editor: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has quickly become a generational 2 health crisis that has abruptly altered many aspects of life across the world. Health care professionals, 3 such as residents across various medical specialties, are facing rapidly evolving practice and educational 4 environments, all while coping with the emotional stressors shared by the general public from 5 monumental changes to society. 1, 2 Understanding the sources of anxiety in our trainees is crucial as 6 organizational leaders work to support the professionals caring for patients. 7

To help address and better assess some of these issues, we hosted a live webinar with dermatology 8 program directors and chief residents across the United States specifically on resident concerns during 9 the pandemic. 3 Topics ranged from the board certification exam to treating non-emergent 10 dermatological conditions in clinics. Polling questions were used to capture data with the aim to assess 11 which pandemic-related adjustments are most distressing dermatology residents. 12

Participants were asked about their planned date for the 2020 Initial Certification Exam, the level of 13 anxiety about the timing and manner of the board exams recently announced by the American Board of 14 Dermatology, 4 the level of anxiety regarding redeployment to non-dermatology medical services such as 15 the emergency room and COVID-19 units, and the perceived impact of COVID-19 on employment after 16 graduation. Of the 198 residents participating in the webinar, 60 responded they were 3 rd year 17 residents. The response rate varied between the four questions, ranging from 70-95%. The majority 18

[74%] of 3 rd year dermatology residents plan to take the board exam in July 2020 (Figure 1) , and 84% 19 report a "high" or an "extremely high" level of anxiety about the logistical details (Figure 2) . The 20 majority of respondents reported high to extremely high levels of anxiety relating to redeployment and 21 employment following graduation, with only 12% and 6% of the polled residents noting "not at all" or 22 "low" worry, respectively (Figure 2) . Extrapolating from these data may be difficult due to the inherent 23 3 selection bias in webinar attendance and the small proportion of 3 rd year dermatology residents 24 captured. We suspect, however, that the angst surrounding these hot topics is underreported. 25

The discussion of nationwide organizational decisions and our sampling of 3 rd year resident 26 perspectives reflect the need for further data-driven investigation into trainee apprehension. Despite 27 the limitations of this study, our findings illustrate compelling levels of anxiety among 3 rd year 28 dermatology residents about their certification, clinical practice, and careers. Formal efforts to hear 29 directly from residents and program directors who represent the national pulse of thought are 30 fundamental for institutional leaders to make informed decisions about patient care and resident 31 education that best support the health care providers of the future. 

Keywords: COVID-19

PGY-4: postgraduate year 4

Supporting the health care workforce during the COVID-19 global 70 epidemic

Addressing general surgery residents' concerns in the early 72 phase of the COVID-19 pandemic

The resident and program director perspective

Certification Exam Administration Plans. American Board of Dermatology