Abstract
Objective: To address significant disruptions in didactic education precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, a group of rheumatology program directors collaborated with the American College of Rheumatology to create a virtual fellows-in-training (V-FIT) program. Methods: A working group was composed to develop the virtual didactic program comprising live virtual sessions of core curricular rheumatology topics that were recorded to permit asynchronous learning. Nationally recognized educators were invited to lead sessions to fill the void in didactic education occurring on a broad scale across US rheumatology fellowship training programs. Demographic information, live and asynchronous participation data, and feedback surveys were collected from participants in the program. Results: There were 3 components to V-FIT: the Virtual Rheumatology Learning (ViRL) series, the Virtual Rheumatology Practicum (ViP), and the Virtual Rheumatology Teaching Lessons (ViTLs). The ViRL program had global impact with more than 2,000 learners from more than 55 countries. ViP provided a standardized curriculum of rheumatology topics for incoming first-year fellows. ViTLs addressed advanced and interdisciplinary rheumatic disease topics for learners at all stages. Conclusion: With collaboration, adaptation, and innovation, the V-FIT program not only maintained but also enhanced education for rheumatology trainees, was enriched by national and international participation, and provided standardized, broadly accessible content with interdisciplinary learning.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1563-1570 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Arthritis Care and Research |
| Volume | 75 |
| Issue number | 7 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jul 2023 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Rheumatology
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In: Arthritis Care and Research, Vol. 75, No. 7, 07.2023, p. 1563-1570.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
TY - JOUR
T1 - Virtually Speaking
T2 - The Impact of a Nationwide Synchronous and Asynchronous Learning Forum
AU - Dua, Anisha B.
AU - Bolster, Marcy B.
AU - Gensler, Lianne S.
AU - Kolfenbach, Jason
AU - Mamut, Mary H.
AU - Seo, Philip
AU - Jonas, Beth L.
N1 - Funding Information: The COTW assembled the Virtual Learning Working Group (“Working Group”) in March 2020, which included 5 adult rheumatology fellowship PDs (ABD, MBB, LSG, JK, PS), 1 division director (Chair, COTW, BLJ), and 1 rheumatology FIT (MHM) and was supported by 2 ACR staff members. The Working Group was composed of 5 women and 2 men with broad geographical representation. Planning meetings for the didactic sessions were accomplished via Ring Central, a video teleconferencing platform, to create the ViRL series (April–June 2020). Working Group meetings were then continued on a monthly basis to create ViP and ViTLs. Each of the 3 series was created to represent specific goals and objectives for learners as they progress through subspecialty training (Table 1). ACR = American College of Rheumatology; FIT = fellow in training; PDs = program directors; Q&A = question and answer; V-FIT = virtual fellows in training; ViP = Virtual Rheumatology Practicums (adult and pediatric); ViRLs = Virtual Rheumatology Learning Collaborative; ViTLs = Virtual Rheumatology Teaching Lessons. FITs from each year of training invited. The COTW assembled the Virtual Learning Working Group (“Working Group”) in March 2020, which included 5 adult rheumatology fellowship PDs (ABD, MBB, LSG, JK, PS), 1 division director (Chair, COTW, BLJ), and 1 rheumatology FIT (MHM) and was supported by 2 ACR staff members. The Working Group was composed of 5 women and 2 men with broad geographical representation. Planning meetings for the didactic sessions were accomplished via Ring Central, a video teleconferencing platform, to create the ViRL series (April–June 2020). Working Group meetings were then continued on a monthly basis to create ViP and ViTLs. Each of the 3 series was created to represent specific goals and objectives for learners as they progress through subspecialty training (Table 1). ACR = American College of Rheumatology; FIT = fellow in training; PDs = program directors; Q&A = question and answer; V-FIT = virtual fellows in training; ViP = Virtual Rheumatology Practicums (adult and pediatric); ViRLs = Virtual Rheumatology Learning Collaborative; ViTLs = Virtual Rheumatology Teaching Lessons. FITs from each year of training invited. The fundamental goal for the ViRL series was to create a virtual learning platform for fellows whose training programs were disrupted by the pandemic. Nationally recognized educators were invited to lead sessions for FITs to fill the void in didactic education occurring on a broad scale across US training programs. Invited speakers represented a broad spectrum including geography, sex, race, and time within the profession. Topics representing many components of the ACR Core Curriculum Outline for Rheumatology Fellowship Programs (https://www.rheumatology.org/Portals/0/Files/Core-Curriculum-Outline.pdf) were selected for ViRL sessions. A 1-hour format was selected to mirror the in-person academic educational conferences most characteristically offered within training programs. The Working Group then shifted its efforts to the creation of the ViP (Table 1). This series aligned with the content of the ACR Core Curriculum Outline for Rheumatology fellowship programs and was delivered in the style of a basic core curriculum to provide a summer lecture series for new rheumatology FITs in July and August of 2020. The planning meetings for ViP occurred as many areas of the US approached peak COVID-19 infection rates, and many fellowship training PDs and core faculty were reassigned to COVID-19–related tasks. Adult and pediatric rheumatology curricula were designed in parallel to address the educational needs of both groups. The Working Group limited teleconference invitations to US and Canadian FITs to encourage a smaller audience and to create a more intimate and interactive learning environment for new first year FITs. To foster interactive learning, educators were trained in incorporating polling into PowerPoint presentations, and the chat function was integrated and directed by moderator pairs. Again, the 1-hour format was selected to provide sufficient core content and to mirror the in-person academic educational conferences. ViTLs was designed by the Working Group, for delivery in January–May 2021 (Table 1), to provide a sophisticated educational forum where interactive small group learning was encouraged. Sessions highlighted the care of high complexity patients who often require interdisciplinary collaboration for optimal disease management. The sessions were led by 2 to 3 experts with a shared approach to patient-centered care. All ViRL and ViP sessions were offered as webinars using the RingCentral platform with a rheumatology faculty member and FIT as co-moderators. In webinar format, this platform did not allow attendees to enable their camera or microphone. Comments in the chat were visible to all participants, but questions submitted using the question and answer function were visible only to the speaker and moderators. ViTLs were presented using Zoom, which enabled greater interaction between the audience and speakers with use of a moderator and the chat function. Comments and questions in the chat were visible to all participants, although participants were also able to unmute their microphone to address questions to the speakers. All V-FIT sessions were recorded to be available on the ACR website to allow for asynchronous viewing by a broader audience. A 2-part survey was distributed to FITs and PDs at the conclusion of the ViRL series to characterize ongoing disruptions to training related to the pandemic with a needs assessment to identify educational gaps for FITs. The second part of the survey was designed to obtain feedback on the educational value of the topics, speaker presentation styles, and technology effectiveness. At the completion of the ViP series, a group comprised of 6 fellowship training PDs and 1 rheumatology FIT was convened to consider the strengths and additional opportunities of the offered virtual sessions, thus providing qualitative feedback. Formal feedback from FITs and fellowship training PDs was gathered for each ViP and ViTLs presentation through online surveys, and these results were analyzed and shared with the Working Group to enable ongoing design modifications for each series. At the onset of the COVID-19 global pandemic, it was quickly recognized by the ACR COTW leadership that there was an impending gap in fellow didactic education with the move to work from home. Within a 24-hour period, 32 program directors (nearly 20% of all US program directors) expressed interest in joining an initiative to pool resources and participate in a virtual education platform for fellow didactic education. The ACR and COTW responded to this demonstrable need by spearheading, coordinating, and launching the V-FIT series (March 2020). The COTW assembled the Virtual Learning Working Group (“Working Group”) in March 2020, which included 5 adult rheumatology fellowship PDs (ABD, MBB, LSG, JK, PS), 1 division director (Chair, COTW, BLJ), and 1 rheumatology FIT (MHM) and was supported by 2 ACR staff members. The Working Group was composed of 5 women and 2 men with broad geographical representation. Planning meetings for the didactic sessions were accomplished via Ring Central, a video teleconferencing platform, to create the ViRL series (April–June 2020). Working Group meetings were then continued on a monthly basis to create ViP and ViTLs. Each of the 3 series was created to represent specific goals and objectives for learners as they progress through subspecialty training (Table 1). ACR = American College of Rheumatology; FIT = fellow in training; PDs = program directors; Q&A = question and answer; V-FIT = virtual fellows in training; ViP = Virtual Rheumatology Practicums (adult and pediatric); ViRLs = Virtual Rheumatology Learning Collaborative; ViTLs = Virtual Rheumatology Teaching Lessons. FITs from each year of training invited. The fundamental goal for the ViRL series was to create a virtual learning platform for fellows whose training programs were disrupted by the pandemic. Nationally recognized educators were invited to lead sessions for FITs to fill the void in didactic education occurring on a broad scale across US training programs. Invited speakers represented a broad spectrum including geography, sex, race, and time within the profession. Topics representing many components of the ACR Core Curriculum Outline for Rheumatology Fellowship Programs (https://www.rheumatology.org/Portals/0/Files/Core-Curriculum-Outline.pdf) were selected for ViRL sessions. A 1-hour format was selected to mirror the in-person academic educational conferences most characteristically offered within training programs. The Working Group then shifted its efforts to the creation of the ViP (Table 1). This series aligned with the content of the ACR Core Curriculum Outline for Rheumatology fellowship programs and was delivered in the style of a basic core curriculum to provide a summer lecture series for new rheumatology FITs in July and August of 2020. The planning meetings for ViP occurred as many areas of the US approached peak COVID-19 infection rates, and many fellowship training PDs and core faculty were reassigned to COVID-19–related tasks. Adult and pediatric rheumatology curricula were designed in parallel to address the educational needs of both groups. The Working Group limited teleconference invitations to US and Canadian FITs to encourage a smaller audience and to create a more intimate and interactive learning environment for new first year FITs. To foster interactive learning, educators were trained in incorporating polling into PowerPoint presentations, and the chat function was integrated and directed by moderator pairs. Again, the 1-hour format was selected to provide sufficient core content and to mirror the in-person academic educational conferences. ViTLs was designed by the Working Group, for delivery in January–May 2021 (Table 1), to provide a sophisticated educational forum where interactive small group learning was encouraged. Sessions highlighted the care of high complexity patients who often require interdisciplinary collaboration for optimal disease management. The sessions were led by 2 to 3 experts with a shared approach to patient-centered care. All ViRL and ViP sessions were offered as webinars using the RingCentral platform with a rheumatology faculty member and FIT as co-moderators. In webinar format, this platform did not allow attendees to enable their camera or microphone. Comments in the chat were visible to all participants, but questions submitted using the question and answer function were visible only to the speaker and moderators. ViTLs were presented using Zoom, which enabled greater interaction between the audience and speakers with use of a moderator and the chat function. Comments and questions in the chat were visible to all participants, although participants were also able to unmute their microphone to address questions to the speakers. All V-FIT sessions were recorded to be available on the ACR website to allow for asynchronous viewing by a broader audience. A 2-part survey was distributed to FITs and PDs at the conclusion of the ViRL series to characterize ongoing disruptions to training related to the pandemic with a needs assessment to identify educational gaps for FITs. The second part of the survey was designed to obtain feedback on the educational value of the topics, speaker presentation styles, and technology effectiveness. At the completion of the ViP series, a group comprised of 6 fellowship training PDs and 1 rheumatology FIT was convened to consider the strengths and additional opportunities of the offered virtual sessions, thus providing qualitative feedback. Formal feedback from FITs and fellowship training PDs was gathered for each ViP and ViTLs presentation through online surveys, and these results were analyzed and shared with the Working Group to enable ongoing design modifications for each series. During fellowship training, as rheumatology fellows prepare to become the new entrants into our specialty, fellows in training (FITs) strive to achieve competency in many areas as required by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) (1). To this end, each rheumatology fellowship training program creates a curriculum based on the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Core Curriculum Outline (https://www.rheumatology.org/Portals/0/Files/Core-Curriculum-Outline.pdf) and composed of a broad array of educational activities. The training curriculum (2,3), designed to transform the trainee from the internist into a subspecialty consultant, includes clinical training in patient care, didactic learning, scholarly work, and the fellow as clinical teacher (4,5). SIGNIFICANCE & INNOVATIONS The virtual fellows in training (V-FIT) program, a virtual teleconference didactic program developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, consisted of 3 components (Virtual Rheumatology Learning [ViRL], Virtual Rheumatology Practicum [ViP], Virtual Rheumatology Teaching Lessons [ViTLs]) addressing rheumatology core curricular and advanced interdisciplinary topics. This innovative, didactic series allowed broad attendance and greater flexibility for learners, including fellows, academic faculty, community rheumatologists, medical trainees, and advanced practice providers, and it demonstrated national and global impact. The V-FIT program is the first interfellowship rheumatology program platform adopted by the majority of fellowship programs in the US. This novel educational platform was distinguished by positive effects on fellow engagement, community building among rheumatologists, and enhanced interdisciplinary educational offerings, and it can continue to provide flexible access to high-quality educational tools to serve as a powerful companion to in-person instruction offered by individual rheumatology fellowship training programs moving forward. The virtual fellows in training (V-FIT) program, a virtual teleconference didactic program developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, consisted of 3 components (Virtual Rheumatology Learning [ViRL], Virtual Rheumatology Practicum [ViP], Virtual Rheumatology Teaching Lessons [ViTLs]) addressing rheumatology core curricular and advanced interdisciplinary topics. This innovative, didactic series allowed broad attendance and greater flexibility for learners, including fellows, academic faculty, community rheumatologists, medical trainees, and advanced practice providers, and it demonstrated national and global impact. The V-FIT program is the first interfellowship rheumatology program platform adopted by the majority of fellowship programs in the US. This novel educational platform was distinguished by positive effects on fellow engagement, community building among rheumatologists, and enhanced interdisciplinary educational offerings, and it can continue to provide flexible access to high-quality educational tools to serve as a powerful companion to in-person instruction offered by individual rheumatology fellowship training programs moving forward. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, residency and fellowship training programs were propelled into a virtual environment. Rheumatology fellowship training programs shifted to include virtual care encounters in their clinical training for FITs (6,7). As programs pivoted to remote work, medical educators and learners faced challenges with maintaining robust didactic educational experiences. Many scheduled conferences were canceled because of reassignment of both faculty and fellows to care for patients with COVID-19 or converted to remote presentations via video teleconference platforms (8). Early in the pandemic, Koumpouros and Helfgott (8), while urging rapid and innovative responses by medical educators in the pandemic, astutely highlighted the importance of maintaining safety, permitting flexibility, and creating innovations. The value of expanding to intra-institutional and inter-institutional conferences for sharing information was quickly recognized during the pandemic (9). Although rheumatology fellowship training programs typically function independently, it became evident that they could pool their resources to provide didactic educational activities on a national level. Additionally, it was recognized that these same conferences, typically unavailable to rheumatology providers outside of academic institutions’ local communities, could now reach a global audience. In response to urgently expressed needs by rheumatology program directors (PDs) and to ensure maintenance of FITs’ didactic education, the ACR Committee on Training and Workforce (COTW) charged a group of rheumatology medical educators with organizing a series of virtual didactic presentations, which were offered to a global audience. Following an impactful launch of the Virtual Rheumatology Learning (ViRL) series, the ACR promoted additional virtual education including the Virtual Rheumatology Practicum (ViP) and Virtual Rheumatology Teaching Lessons (ViTLs) series. Together, these virtual rheumatology educational programs were titled V-FIT (virtual fellows in training). Herein, we describe the development of V-FIT, the national and international impact, and the potential for availing similar successes to other specialties and subspecialties. To address significant disruptions in didactic education precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, a group of rheumatology program directors collaborated with the American College of Rheumatology to create a virtual fellows-in-training (V-FIT) program. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Authors. Arthritis Care & Research published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American College of Rheumatology.
PY - 2023/7
Y1 - 2023/7
N2 - Objective: To address significant disruptions in didactic education precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, a group of rheumatology program directors collaborated with the American College of Rheumatology to create a virtual fellows-in-training (V-FIT) program. Methods: A working group was composed to develop the virtual didactic program comprising live virtual sessions of core curricular rheumatology topics that were recorded to permit asynchronous learning. Nationally recognized educators were invited to lead sessions to fill the void in didactic education occurring on a broad scale across US rheumatology fellowship training programs. Demographic information, live and asynchronous participation data, and feedback surveys were collected from participants in the program. Results: There were 3 components to V-FIT: the Virtual Rheumatology Learning (ViRL) series, the Virtual Rheumatology Practicum (ViP), and the Virtual Rheumatology Teaching Lessons (ViTLs). The ViRL program had global impact with more than 2,000 learners from more than 55 countries. ViP provided a standardized curriculum of rheumatology topics for incoming first-year fellows. ViTLs addressed advanced and interdisciplinary rheumatic disease topics for learners at all stages. Conclusion: With collaboration, adaptation, and innovation, the V-FIT program not only maintained but also enhanced education for rheumatology trainees, was enriched by national and international participation, and provided standardized, broadly accessible content with interdisciplinary learning.
AB - Objective: To address significant disruptions in didactic education precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, a group of rheumatology program directors collaborated with the American College of Rheumatology to create a virtual fellows-in-training (V-FIT) program. Methods: A working group was composed to develop the virtual didactic program comprising live virtual sessions of core curricular rheumatology topics that were recorded to permit asynchronous learning. Nationally recognized educators were invited to lead sessions to fill the void in didactic education occurring on a broad scale across US rheumatology fellowship training programs. Demographic information, live and asynchronous participation data, and feedback surveys were collected from participants in the program. Results: There were 3 components to V-FIT: the Virtual Rheumatology Learning (ViRL) series, the Virtual Rheumatology Practicum (ViP), and the Virtual Rheumatology Teaching Lessons (ViTLs). The ViRL program had global impact with more than 2,000 learners from more than 55 countries. ViP provided a standardized curriculum of rheumatology topics for incoming first-year fellows. ViTLs addressed advanced and interdisciplinary rheumatic disease topics for learners at all stages. Conclusion: With collaboration, adaptation, and innovation, the V-FIT program not only maintained but also enhanced education for rheumatology trainees, was enriched by national and international participation, and provided standardized, broadly accessible content with interdisciplinary learning.
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85143233147&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/acr.24972
DO - 10.1002/acr.24972
M3 - Article
C2 - 35724301
AN - SCOPUS:85143233147
SN - 2151-464X
VL - 75
SP - 1563
EP - 1570
JO - Arthritis Care and Research
JF - Arthritis Care and Research
IS - 7
ER -