Rene Przkora, MD, PhD, is a coauthor on a new paper in the journal Pain Medicine describing innovative solutions to help maintain the quality of pain fellowship programs during the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The authors convened a panel of pain program directors who serve as officers/board members of the Association of Pain Program Directors. Dr. Przkora, who is Professor of Anesthesiology and Chief of the Pain Medicine Division, servers as President of that national organization.
The panel found that several strategies can help address the unprecedented challenges and disruptions to the clinical experience and job outlook for fellows, including telehealth and offering trainees opportunities to continue professional growth after completing their fellowships. Program directors can help guide fellows using mentorship guidelines, according to the paper, which described resources available for directors.
“Clearly, the right people are here at the right time to help guide our fellows through these unprecedented times,” the paper concluded.
The paper was published online in June ahead of print publication and titled “Maintaining High-Quality Multidisciplinary Pain Medicine Fellowship Programs: Part II: Innovations in Clinical Care Workflow, Clinical Supervision, Job Satisfaction, and Postgraduation Mentorship for Pain Fellows During the COVID-19 Pandemic.” It was written by faculty at the University of Virginia, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Montefiore Medical Center, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Emory School of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, and the University of Chicago.