The impact of COVID-19 on REI fellowship educational experience

PURPOSE: To assess perceived deficiencies of reproductive endocrinology and infertility (REI) fellow education due to changes in care secondary to COVID-19. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study performed in an academic setting. A survey was generated and administered to REI fellows and attendings practicing in programs across the United States. Descriptive statistics were used to quantify results regarding clinical volume, academic responsibilities, clinical safety, and fellowship education. RESULTS: The survey response rate was 23%. Eighty-four percent of respondents self-identified as fellows, and 16% identified as program directors or other REI academic instructors. Overall, the survey responses confirmed that the COVID-19 pandemic tremendously affected clinical volume, with 91% of participants reporting their clinical volume decreased by at least half. Although 67% of attendings believed that the changes related to COVID-19 have or will have significantly affected the clinical skills of fellows, 66% of fellows did not believe that their clinical training had been significantly impacted. Sixty-seven percent of fellows and 78% of attendings do not believe that changes related to COVID-19 will affect the ability of fellows to practice independently. CONCLUSION: Even though most attendings surveyed believed that the changes related to COVID-19 would affect the clinical skills of fellows, the cessation of clinical and research activities was short-lived, likely tempering the overall effect on clinical training. Overall, most respondents did not believe that the pandemic significantly affected fellow education.