Academic Medicine Open Forum

*RESOURCE ENTRY UPDATED 4/14/2020*

This document updates and replaces guidance issued by the AAMC on March 17, March 23, and
March 30, 2020, regarding the participation of medical students in direct patient contact
activities.

This guidance document is intended to add to, but not supersede, an academic medical center’s independent judgment of the immediate needs of its patients and preparation of its students. The medical school dean has the authority and responsibility to make such decisions regarding medical students.

In this current environment, AAMC guidance for medical schools regarding medical students’ participation in direct patient contact activities continues to be based on public health considerations, PPE needs and COVID-19 testing availability. The April 14 guidance includes two sections:

• SECTION I. This section provides guidance for medical schools in locales in which there is significant, active current or anticipated COVID-19 community spread, and/or limited availability of PPE and/or limited availability of COVID-19 testing. We acknowledge that this currently includes virtually every AAMC-member medical school. This guidance is unchanged from previous guidance of March 30, 2020 except for the addition of new details pertaining to students’ health care insurance coverage, PPE and COVID-19 testing, added at the end of Section I. in bold font.
• SECTION II. In planning ahead, we anticipate that timing will vary considerably across medical schools regarding when there will not be significant, active or anticipated COVID-19 community spread, AND both PPE and COVID-19 testing become readily available locally. For planning purposes, Section II provides new considerations for medical schools pertaining to the participation of medical students in direct patient contact activities as part of their required clerkships or other required clinical experiences in the MD-degree program core curriculum.

The situation is very fluid, and we will continue to update our guidance on an as-needed basis.

We remain strongly committed to working with medical schools to minimize negative impacts on students and to supporting schools in making necessary curricular adjustments. We must all continue to work together to rise to the challenge of this unprecedented pandemic. Thank you in advance for continuing to share your solutions, support your students, and care for your community.