March 19, 2020 / by Nathan Hollister and Rebecca Allen
(CNN)As the novel coronavirus pandemic has spread, it has required rapid and creative problem solving as well as the enactment of public health measures that two months ago seemed like science fiction. We are now facing the possibility that the American health care system could become overwhelmed in the coming months. Experts have warned that not only would this result in a shortage of hospital beds and ventilators, but also a shortage of the healthcare workforce required to treat patients.
However, even as hospitals create contingency plans to address the coming staff shortages, many medical students nationwide, including us, are being shielded from any possible contact with Covid-19 patients. Some students are even being pulled from their rotations entirely.
The common thinking appears to be that is that it is unethical to require medical students, people paying tuition to be in the hospital, to put themselves at risk of contracting this infection — or that students are not yet prepared to treat victims of this crisis.
Medical school is a four-year education, the final two years of which are almost exclusively a series of clinical apprenticeships with resident and attending physicians called “rotations.” We argue that fourth-year medical students should have the option to serve the healthcare system as fully trained assets alongside interns and residents in this unique time of need. Medical schools in the UK have been asked to consider fast-tracking their senior medical students — and America should do the same.
