Washington University and St. Louis University's medical schools plan to make telemedicine training part of their academic curriculums, according to St. Louis Public Radio.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, St. Louis University's school of medicine only had a few classes and clinicals that focused on telemedicine, while Washington University's school of medicine had no classes dedicated to telemedicine. Once the pandemic hit the U.S., Washington University had to stop all clinicals scheduled for spring, which inspired the medical school to add telehealth to the curriculum in the fall.
"We know that there will continue to be way more telemedicine visits than there would be otherwise, and we don't want our students to miss out on that opportunity," said Associate Dean of Medical Student Education Tom De Fer, MD.
The Association of American Medical Colleges, which advises more than 100 medical schools, including Washington University and St. Louis University, is helping medical schools across the country to develop telehealth curriculums in the fall, according to the report.