COVID-19 and medical education: Challenges and opportunities in Venezuela/ COVID-19 y la educación médica: retos y oportunidades en Venezuela

On 11 March 2020 the World Health Organisation declared the Pandemic situation due to a new coronavirus, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome -Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which caused the infectious disease due to coronavirus called COVID-19. University education in Venezuela, and particularly medical education, due to its close relationship with the Pandemic, has been severely affected. A review is presented in this article on the available evidence and opinions as regards medical education in the COVID-19 era. A series of challenges are set out which the University may face from the reflection and the establishing of solutions in a context of uncertainty and accelerated changes for the future of Medical Education. The outlook for Medical Education in the country and at world level is uncertain, and although unfavourable at the moment, the evolutionary process not only offers adverse environments, but also the possibility of generating adaptive processes, and the search and implementation of new ways of teaching. This latter, may involve a positive and necessary change for the teaching of new health professionals.