TY - JOUR
T1 - Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on nephrology fellow training and well-being in the United States
T2 - A national survey
AU - Pivert, Kurtis A.
AU - Boyle, Suzanne M.
AU - Halbach, Susan M.
AU - Chan, Lili
AU - Shah, Hitesh H.
AU - Waitzman, Joshua S.
AU - Mehdi, Ali
AU - Norouzi, Sayna
AU - Sozio, Stephen M.
N1 - Funding Information:
L. Chan is supported by National Institutes of Health award K23DK124645. J.S. Waitzman is supported by National Institutes of Health award T32 DK007199 and by a Ben J. Lipps Research Fellowship from the American Society of Nephrology.
Funding Information:
K.A. Pivert reports having an ownership interest in iShares Gold Trust ETF and is an employee of the American Society of Nephrology. H.H. Shah is an editorial board member of the American Journal of Therapeutics. J.S. Waitz-man’s spouse is an employee of Takeda Pharmaceuticals. L. Chan reports receiving research funding from National Institutes of Health. S.M. Halbach reports honoraria from Horizon Therapeutics; and Other Interests/Relationships with UpToDate. All remaining authors have nothing to disclose.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 by the American Society of Nephrology
PY - 2021/5
Y1 - 2021/5
N2 - Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic's effects on nephrology fellows' educational experiences, preparedness for practice, and emotional wellbeing are unknown. Methods We recruited current adult and pediatric fellows and 2020 graduates of nephrology training programs in the United States to participate in a survey measuring COVID-19's effects on their training experiences and wellbeing. Results Of 1005 nephrology fellows-in-training and recent graduates, 425 participated (response rate 42%). Telehealth was widely adopted (90% for some or all outpatient nephrology consults), as was remote learning (76% of conferences were exclusively online). Most respondents (64%) did not have in-person consults on COVID-19 inpatients; these patients were managed by telehealth visits (27%), by in-person visits with the attending faculty without fellows (29%), or by another approach (9%). A majority of fellows (84%) and graduates (82%) said their training programs successfully sustained their education during the pandemic, and most fellows (86%) and graduates (90%) perceived themselves as prepared for unsupervised practice. Although 42% indicated the pandemic had negatively affected their overall quality of life and 33% reported a poorer work-life balance, only 15% of 412 respondents who completed the Resident Well-Being Index met its distress threshold. Risk for distress was increased among respondents who perceived the pandemic had impaired their knowledge base (odds ratio [OR], 3.04; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.00 to 4.77) or negatively affected their quality of life (OR, 3.47; 95% CI, 2.29 to 5.46) or work-life balance (OR, 3.16; 95% CI, 2.18 to 4.71). Conclusions Despite major shifts in education modalities and patient care protocols precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, participants perceived their education and preparation for practice to be minimally affected.
AB - Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic's effects on nephrology fellows' educational experiences, preparedness for practice, and emotional wellbeing are unknown. Methods We recruited current adult and pediatric fellows and 2020 graduates of nephrology training programs in the United States to participate in a survey measuring COVID-19's effects on their training experiences and wellbeing. Results Of 1005 nephrology fellows-in-training and recent graduates, 425 participated (response rate 42%). Telehealth was widely adopted (90% for some or all outpatient nephrology consults), as was remote learning (76% of conferences were exclusively online). Most respondents (64%) did not have in-person consults on COVID-19 inpatients; these patients were managed by telehealth visits (27%), by in-person visits with the attending faculty without fellows (29%), or by another approach (9%). A majority of fellows (84%) and graduates (82%) said their training programs successfully sustained their education during the pandemic, and most fellows (86%) and graduates (90%) perceived themselves as prepared for unsupervised practice. Although 42% indicated the pandemic had negatively affected their overall quality of life and 33% reported a poorer work-life balance, only 15% of 412 respondents who completed the Resident Well-Being Index met its distress threshold. Risk for distress was increased among respondents who perceived the pandemic had impaired their knowledge base (odds ratio [OR], 3.04; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.00 to 4.77) or negatively affected their quality of life (OR, 3.47; 95% CI, 2.29 to 5.46) or work-life balance (OR, 3.16; 95% CI, 2.18 to 4.71). Conclusions Despite major shifts in education modalities and patient care protocols precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, participants perceived their education and preparation for practice to be minimally affected.
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U2 - 10.1681/ASN.2020111636
DO - 10.1681/ASN.2020111636
M3 - Review article
C2 - 33658283
AN - SCOPUS:85106068720
SN - 1046-6673
VL - 32
SP - 1236
EP - 1248
JO - Journal of the American Society of Nephrology
JF - Journal of the American Society of Nephrology
IS - 5
ER -