Response and Lessons Learnt Managing the COVID 19 Crisis by School of Medicine, National University of Singapore
Background: Healthcare professionals are playing an important role in the recent COVID 19 outbreak. It is crucial that the health systems maintain their ability to train students and residents during this time. However, there is a paucity of literature on the measures taken by higher education institutions to ensure academic continuity. The aim of this article is to share the systematic measures that were taken during the COVID 19 pandemic by Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore. Methods: We discussed our multi faceted approach to protect students, staff and patients/ standardized patients during the COVID 19 outbreak that occurred during a pivotal time in the school's academic calendar. Results: Our approach to ensuring academic continuity and quality were based on best practices in the following areas: 1) A coordinated leadership and management process 2) Prioritising safety for all stakeholders 3) Dissemination of information amongst the stakeholders in a transparent and efficient way, and 4) Maintaining the rigour and quality of training. Conclusion: The initiatives were implemented as we leveraged on the available infrastructure and the collective team efforts of all involved. Further research will be done to evaluate the usefulness of these measures. We hope that this article would be a useful reference for other schools as they evaluate their pandemic preparedness in the event that the COVID 19 outbreak affects their country or similar crisis event in the future.