Background and Aims COVID-19 has affected the delivery of postgraduate medical education. Social-distancing measures, lost training time and limited resources have all presented unique challenges. Learning opportunities in Regional Anaesthesia (RA) have reduced since the start of the pandemic, yet less aerosol-generation and improved patient flow when compared to general anaesthesia, has increased RA demand.^1,2 We aimed to combat these challenges by adopting a novel approach to RA fellowship teaching to maintain high-quality training and service delivery.

Methods Fellows were given access to a repository of learning resources through Dropbox™ including research papers and block performance videos. Tutorials were conducted over Microsoft Teams (Figure 1), utilising sono-anatomy videos and immersive anatomy software (3D Organon™) using virtual reality (VR) headsets (Oculus™). Butterfly IQ™ handheld ultrasound devices were made available for practice at home. A Google Docs ™ survey was then distributed to all fellows to rate their learning experience.

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Abstract B163 Figure 1

Results All fellows (n=6) agreed/strongly agreed that the Dropbox™ folder improved knowledge of RA and aided preparation for online tutorials. All fellows strongly agreed online tutorials were useful. 5 fellows agreed/strongly agreed that VR software was useful for learning, with 3 agreeing/strongly agreeing that the Butterfly IQ™ benefitted their learning.

Conclusions A growing demand for RA, coupled with a greater emphasis on robust training and service delivery, means the provision of high-quality RA fellowships is more important than ever.^3,4 Despite limitations on medical education during the pandemic our centre has demonstrated it is still possible to maximise RA learning opportunities and keep fellows engaged.