Some new doctors who trained during the pandemic worry about gaps in their knowledge

The pandemic has disrupted life in many ways for Canadians, but it has also interrupted learning for a group dedicated to the country's health-care system: medical students and residents.

Some residents who finished medical school during the pandemic say COVID-19 restrictions and public health measures have impacted how and what they are learning. And this could ultimately impact patient care.

Dr. Charlotte McEwen of Thunder Bay, Ont., was a registered nurse for two years before she enrolled in medical school. She said she felt a calling to be a surgeon. Half of her three-year medical program at McMaster University took place during COVID-19.

She and her peers were pulled from their hospital training for several weeks when the pandemic first broke out in March 2020. During that time, McEwen attended virtual lectures meant to help students keep up with their clinical learning, but said she missed out on valuable clinical time, which would typically provide more learning opportunities.

"We spent a lot of time away from the clinical environment and had to — over time — recover those opportunities," McEwen said.

The pandemic and ensuing COVID-19 restrictions disrupted typical medical school education — forcing classes and lectures online, delaying exams, preventing travel so graduating students could not meet with different hospital programs across the country and initially limiting clinical training for students, which meant fewer opportunities to practice skills.

An August 2020 commentary in the Canadian Medical Association Journal acknowledges that residents have been limited to working at one site in some parts of the country, have had reduced exposure to elective procedures and surgeries, and may have received fewer learning opportunities than in the past.

"The days of crowded bedside rounds are over; infection control protocols for physical distancing must be followed and the consumption of valuable PPE reduced," the commentary reads.

"Training place assessments and patient care will remain the essence of medical education; however, creativity and innovation will be required to deliver these foundations."

It notes that residents should be aware of their skills gaps so they can be corrected during future learning.

WATCH | New doctors worry about gaps in knowledge due to pandemic:

Medical students were removed from clinical duties at the onset of the pandemic because they are not considered essential medical personnel, said the president and CEO of the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada, Dr. Geneviève Moineau, in a statement to CBC News.

But students returned to clinical rotations as soon as their university was able to do so, she added.

The pandemic highlighted the need for educators to provide virtual clinical medical education in different and innovative ways, Moineau said.