The Virtual Cardiology Rotation: Situated Cognition and the Signature Pedagogy in Medicine

Background: Corona Virus 2019 (COVID-19) challenged the delivery of medical education and training, especially to the 4th year medical students. Medicine's signature pedagogy, the ward rounds in the hospital, was put on hold in compliance with safety precautions during this pandemic and the Commission on Higher Education’s (CHED) suspension of face-to-face classes in all levels. How the University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Medicine & Surgery (UST FMS) Cardiology Rotation was delivered despite these restrictions is described. Using Google Classroom, Blackboard Collaborate, and Zoom, a 7-day online Cardiology Clerkship rotation was delivered to UST FMS 4th year students (clerks) using the synchronous and asynchronous mode of delivery. It consisted of the following: 1) Cardiovascular (CV) Ward Rotation with 3 cases using Google Classroom's adaptive release to create a vicarious experience of taking care of a patient and doing all the tasks that a clerk is supposed to do; 2) Virtual Ward Rounds by a consultant; 3) Outpatient Department (OPD) / Ambulatory Care Services (ACS) case discussions with a consultant and a 4) Heart Station Rotation for training in electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretation. Conclusion: The advances in technology and software provided just-in-time resources that made possible the creative delivery of Medicine's signature pedagogy. Key words: virtual cardiology rotation, clerkship, signature pedagogy