Process of Exclusion: Inferring the Effect of Virtual Patient Care and Education on Student Satisfaction

Among the three COVID-affected groups, the T2 and T4 clerks with both virtual patients and lectures were most negative, while the T3 group, with live patients and virtual lectures, was more positive than even the pre-COVID T1. [...]students unable to interact with live patients also had more negative views about experiences unrelated to patient care. [...]despite virtual lectures, T3 students were more satisfied than any other about perceived respect and the quality of faculty instruction. [...]it is the T3 clerks, fully masked, but working in-person, whose observations stand out as most positive. [...]qualitative discourse analysis supported these findings; moreover, it suggested a correlation of anxiety, critical responses, and fear around the future of their professional practice, indicating an impact on their professional identity formation.