Monday, March 16, 2020

COVID-19 and the 2021 EM Match: Everything on this site is wrong!

We have endeavored to keep the advice on this site based on the best evidence and consensus recommendations, AND thoroughly up to date with changes in the EM Match.  That has all gone out the window with the COVID-19 Pandemic (plus Step 1 going to Pass/Fail and the SVI getting cancelled).  As anyone reading this probably knows, most medical schools are banning travel by students and limiting the clinical contact they are allowed to have at home.  Most hospitals are also not accepting visiting students.  And we don't know when this will end or what "normal" will look like when things get back to "normal".

The Advising Students Committee (ASC-EM) of the Council of Residency Directors in EM (CORD-EM) authored this Consensus Statement to start to address the impact COVID-19 is going to have students in the 2021 EM Match.  We urge you to read this through as it will hopefully offer some reassurance that the students are not being forgotten, and give you an idea of what is planned to support you. 

As for the problem of everything on this site being wrong, that is going to take a while.  When one of our authors gets COVID and is sent home to self-quarantine all the updates will happen quickly. Until then, like the folks delivering all my Amazon packages, cleaning the empty shelves at the grocery store, and working around the clock making more PPE (thank you!), we are a little short on time.

We will get the Applying Pages updated for this scary new world. In the meantime, stay safe and start studying for Step 2.

Adam Kellogg is an Associate Residency Director, past Chair of the ASC-EM, a contributor to the Consensus Statement, and a master of social distancing.