Health Professions' Educators' Adaptation to Rapidly Changing Circumstances: The Ottawa 2020 Conference Experience

• DOI: 10.15694/mep.2020.000047.1
• Publication Date: 2020-03-23T16:04:24Z
• Authors: Judy McKimm; Trevor Gibbs; Jo Bishop; Paul Jones
• Keywords: Pandemic

<ns4:p>This article was migrated. The marked as recommended. Most health professions' educators (HPEs) are used to responding change, whether these longer term organisational changes or short crises, e.g. staff student sickness technical systems' failures. of changes, whilst they can be frustrating, typically have fairly straightforward and routine solutions. Other wider, environmental also starting affect educators, learners the complex education healthcare systems in which operate, will great impact relatively near future. However, it is current crisis stemming from global transmission coronavirus COVID-19 has most recently impacted on HPE a scale. Whilst many us very working virtually using social media other activities work collaboratively, we still tend rely regular meetings with friends colleagues (old new) around world at conferences meetings. Similarly, universities primarily face teaching provide their programmes, particularly early years. pandemic put all that into sharp relief, having make quick sometimes reactive adaptations our best-laid plans. In this article, discuss some experiences recent Ottawa2020 conference held Kuala Lumpur 1-5 March 2020, identifying lessons learned need keep mind move what currently unchartered territory. learning experience safety paramount, communication transparency key; flexibility needed stakeholders; technologies help, but realistic; acknowledge for psychological adaptation change tap wisdom collegiality community. This paper specifically refers Covid-19 applicable major challenges ideas described transferable situations.</ns4:p>