World Wide Web(inars)
The second wave is upon us and, as many countries go into lockdown, it is more important than ever to focus on the positives
Webinars represent one positive aspect of the lockdown. Suddenly we have access to the world’s best mentors, just as they finally have the time to share their skills and wisdom. Even better, we often gain their time and insight for free – and we should definitely take advantage of it.
Although nothing can beat real surgical training, what we can do is focus on mastering the theoretical side of surgery. It is our job to seek out tips and tricks that we wouldn’t be able to find anywhere other than conferences. (Even when at conferences, we are only there for a very limited time and the scale can be daunting). Having the opportunity to access all that information from the comfort of our own homes is amazing.
During the first lockdown, I helped host a big web meeting here in Bulgaria. A professor and I were inspired to act after a mandatory residency course actually got cancelled – we figured we could scale up the course. In the end, 70 percent of the residents in Bulgaria attended – a huge success! We had planned for a two-hour meeting but it continued for almost four hours, with countless questions and really positive feedback from attendees.
However dark the times feel, there are still positives – you just have to choose to find them.
Atanas Yuliyanov Bogoev, Fourth Year Resident at the Vision Eye Clinic, Sofia, Bulgaria.
