Abstract

Background
In health profession education, clinical placement is a crucial stage that connects professional practice and theoretical study, providing students with the practical experience and skills they need to join the workforce. COVID-19 forced rapid shifts from in-person clinical placements to virtual internships (VIs). Evidence on what opportunities VIs create and which competencies they genuinely develop across multiple health programs remains limited.

Objective
This study aims to explore perceived opportunities and skills developed through VIs across medicine, pharmacy, public health, and human nutrition programs at Qatar University, to inform future hybrid models.

Methods
This is an exploratory qualitative research study that utilized focus group discussions with students and semi-structured interviews with clinical faculty from four programs during Spring 2020. The study included 43 students (in 8 focus groups) and 14 clinical faculty members. Thematic analysis was employed.

Results
The study identified opportunities and key practical skills developed through VIs and their effectiveness in meeting core healthcare training requirements. The main themes that emerged from the analysis are as follows: telehealth exposure, pedagogical innovation, sustainable post-pandemic virtual training, self-directed learning, adaptability and resilience, and communication, presentation, and time-management .

Conclusion
The study demonstrates that virtual training during the COVID-19 pandemic enabled health profession students to develop essential skills, providing valuable insights for enhancing future online clinical education. The study highlights the adaptability of virtual learning environments in developing essential healthcare competencies and offers insights for integrating digital tools into future clinical education models.