THE Bacolod City Council approved a resolution favorably endorsing the application of post-graduate medical interns 2021-2022 to conduct blended (face-to-face and virtual) post-graduate internship hospital rotation at the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH).
The resolution, authored by Councilor Renecito Novero, was approved during the regular session of the City Council on Wednesday afternoon, August 11, 2021.
Novero said Batch 2021-2022 of post-graduate medical interns have started their online flexible learning methods through virtual platform last August 1, 2021, at the CLMMRH.
He said in an online course, there is 100-percent online course delivery with little or no face-to-face sessions while, by contrast, blended learning is a mix of face-to-face teaching and the online approach which is an option provided in the Association of Philippine Medical Colleges (APMC) Advisory dated July 2, 2021.
The method would allow a combination of limited actual face-to-face hospital rotation on the specific low-risk areas allowed by APMC, such as the non-Covid wards and participants, will not be allowed in high-risk areas such as emergency room, Covid-19 wards and critical care unit, out-patient department, except for Telekonsulta services.
Novero noted that participants may be allowed to assist in elective/time-sensitive cases only if patients would already have been determined by RT-PCR test to be negative for Sars-CoV-2.
Novero said CLMMRH has been fully prepared since January 2021 to offer to the interns the blended approach as it has a fully functioning infection control committee (ICC). A hospital emergency incident command system (HEICS) is already in place, which oversees and guarantees the safety of the patients, employees and staff, as well as its interns, notwithstanding the strict observance of minimum health protocols during mentorship.
“A blended learning approach provides ultimate flexibility in presenting content and has the proven potential to enhance both the effectiveness and efficiency of meaningful learning experiences as it offers the best of both worlds solution that can help training programs to cater to all learning styles through a variety of mediums and techniques,” he said.
He added blended learning can promote deeper learning, reduce stress, and increase student satisfaction where mentors/ trainers can become more engaged with their students.
Novero cited advantages outweighs the imagined hazards and vulnerabilities as long as the limitations set above are properly observed and documented.