TABLE 1.

Description of subthemes and representative quotes for each theme

Changing conceptions of the role and image of a physician
Subtheme	Description	Quote
Running toward danger.	Physicians are the ones who run toward danger, risking their own health to improve others.	I think this pandemic has reminded me that we are the ones who run toward danger, not away from it. We have chosen this profession and as such, we have professed our lives to serving society, whatever that means moment by moment. In this moment, and likely in future moments, it means sacrificing time, resources, and personal safety to help others. (Preclerkship)
Pledge to be [insert] physician.	Expressions of the types of physicians students want to be in the future.	I will don my PPE. I will work harder than I ever have before. I will aim to provide the best possible care to my patients. I will come home from work, wash my scrubs, shower, isolate myself from my partner, go to bed in a separate room, and repeat the cycle the next day. I will rise to the occasion, and I will protect myself and loved ones. (Clinical years)
Proving effective science and health communication.	Physicians build trust in the profession by effectively communicating about the pandemic. Students practiced this skill with friends and family.	I've realised the responsibility we have as physicians/physicians‐in‐training to stay informed on the latest COVID updates. Despite my limited medical education, my family frequently asks me for my perspectives on the latest coronavirus news. I find it likely that many other medical professionals experience a similar level of pressure to remain informed because of patients and family who ask for their seasoned perspectives on the pandemic. (Preclerkship)

Views about medical education
Subtheme	Description	Quote
Time for reflection.	Virtual curriculum allows for increased time for reflection on education and career goals.	The pandemic has led to many moments of reflection on my medical education, as well as my future goals as a physician. I have realised how important in‐person interaction with patients is for me to feel fulfilled. Last week, I participated in a telemedicine visit instead of virtual rounds and I felt so much better after speaking directly to a patient. I also realise that I learn much better from the team around me when there are opportunities to participate in discussions, ask questions, and learn from residents, fellows, and attending physicians in the hospital. (Clinical years)
Adaptability of online curriculum.	Basic sciences and virtual cases were viewed as effective adaptations to online curriculum.	I think that while the physical exam is such a crucial tool in the clinician's toolbelt, I have been surprised at how much we are learning because we have to find alternate ways to learn than seeing patients. In some ways, learning how to gain guideline information from interactive simulated cases and articles has provided a more robust knowledge base than we otherwise obtain in our busy in person rotation schedules. (Clinical years)
Dissatisfaction with virtual curriculum.	Virtual clerkship activities viewed as “busy work.”	We have been given work to do solely for the purpose of showing that we are doing work. This additional burden on top of test studying is a detriment to our growth as physicians. (Clinical years)
Need for interaction.	Lack of in‐person interaction results in feelings of social isolation.	The disruption the COVID‐19 pandemic has played on the tail end of my first year of medical school has greatly impacted how I view my medical education experience. Although every effort possible has been made to replicate the classroom experience virtually, the effects of being isolated from peers, facilitators, and lecturers are apparent. (Preclerkship)

The role of medical students in a pandemic
Subtheme	Description	Quote
Medical students as nonessential.	Students argued removal from clinic eliminated opportunity to learn valuable skills; Students questioned whether they had learned any skills that would be valuable in the clinic.	I was losing the opportunity of a lifetime … the opportunity to be on the front lines and do the very thing that brought me to medicine. I was losing the opportunity to learn how to care for patients during a pandemic. I wished it had been different. I wished I had enough knowledge and skills to contribute during this time and in exchange learn from the providers taking care of patients with this illness. (Clinical years)
A way to get involved.	Students volunteered to call patients, deliver negative test results, and answer virus‐related questions.	The most direct way for me to get involved was by calling patients back to discuss negative test results … During my calls it was just as common to spend time discussing the worry that someone felt about family members, coworkers, or children as it was to discuss their own symptoms. For many people facing the same frustration and sense of powerlessness as me, I suspect that being able to discuss their fears and frustrations was as much of a relief as receiving the negative test result. (Clinical years)