**8. Current medical education, simulation, and technology**

After medical students acquire basic knowledge in the first few years of medical school, they begin to acquire clinical skills through the different clinical rotations either in simulation labs or actual clinical settings (e.g., hospitals, clinics, private offices). The use of simulation and clinical focus have been used to meet arising societal and global needs [42]. For example, in the past 15–16 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare professional schools, including medical schools, have somewhat altered their rotation schedules and have used new and creative venues to meet the clinical training needs of their students, while keeping them safe and sound. This included online instruction and online clinical simulation using available technologies such as Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and Zoom. So basically, the whole world was united in higher education teaching methods during the global pandemic. The new trend now, is to move away from traditional in-class instruction to more hybrid strategies such as blended learning and flipped learning methods in both theoretical and clinical courses at the university level, across the globe, where it may be available. However, simulation and new technologies are still considered poor substitutes to actual live, face-to-face, doctor-patient interactions in which communication and practical skills are applied and refined.
