Fast-Tracking Healthcare Graduates During the Uncertainty of COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced us all to a brave new world. Our usual way of doing things — leaving the house without a face mask or attending a party of any kind — is on hold. And if you’re a medical or nursing student? Buckle up. For now, the champagne and graduation parties to celebrate years of blood, sweat, and tears are on hold, and instead, future doctors and nurses like yourself are presented with an opportunity to graduate early and jump headfirst into battle against healthcare’s newest enemy — COVID-19.
More than a dozen medical schools throughout the U.S, including the Grossman School of Medicine at New York University, Tufts University, Boston University, and the University of Massachusetts, have given their medical students the option of graduating early to support overworked staff during COVID-19. Many others are considering it. Dr. Steven Abramson, vice dean for education, faculty, and academic affairs at NYU Grossman told The New York Times, “We’re running into issues of manpower. That led us to conclude: Why not graduate students who are interested in serving in hospitals now? They’ve completed their requirements and they’re prepared.”
Nursing schools are also jumping in. Texas A&M University nursing students graduating in May can pursue an accelerated graduation plan, allowing them to quickly enter the workforce to support the state’s response to COVID-19. Governor of California Gavin Newsom said it was a priority to get nursing students nearing graduation licensed and to quickly get medical students through graduation and working.
So we see medical students are on the fast track to entering the healthcare workforce during a pandemic. What are some key factors you should be aware of before diving in? These four stand out:
Who is eligible for early graduation?
Initially, schools in the hardest-hit states, like New York, spurred the move to accelerate graduates. Medical schools interested in this option are referencing the guidelines issued in late March by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), which helps schools navigate the benchmarks for early graduation. According to LCME, students who have met their educational program objectives (EPOs) requirements may be eligible for early graduation. Additionally, schools can choose to waive electives after review and approval by their curriculum committee and student advancement and promotion committee. As Medscape reported, New York has had thousands of healthcare workers volunteer, including students, as part of the state’s “surge healthcare force” efforts during COVID-19.
Are you properly credentialed to begin working?
Proper credentialing is a critical component to a physician or nurse working in a healthcare setting of any kind. However, it’s a complicated process that many medical students aren’t prepared for. Some states, like Massachusetts, are providing 90-day provisional licenses for early graduates; however, it’s important that medical schools prepare their students for what comes after and how to proceed on a rapid timeline.
A key step will be to partner with organizations that offer modernized credentialing. Older credentialing processes, i.e., Post-it Notes, Excel spreadsheets, and antiquated software, will create unnecessary delays and hiccups for residents and nursing graduates eager to do their part to help during COVID-19. Streamlining credentialing will enable doctors and nurses to practice quicker, giving patients access to care sooner. My company, Modio Health, for example, is working to make this process easier, more efficient, and safer for healthcare organizations and providers through technology and innovation so that they can easily determine which regulations to follow, ignore, fight, or work around.
Where can medical students look for intel to make an informed decision?
A pandemic wreaking havoc on our healthcare system is not a scenario any medical student would expect. While many students have been eager to volunteer services, others have expressed their reservations of being put in harm’s way. Divya K. Chhabra, a resident in New York City, wrote in the Huffington Post, “Resident doctors, myself included, and prematurely graduated medical students all over the country, frequently without choice, have been redeployed to jobs for which we did not sign up, at the sacrifice of valuable training in our desired specialties.” Long hours, lack of PPE, and residents facing mountains of debt also factor into this decision. While many graduates will be working to fill gaps in general care and not necessarily working directly with COVID patients, the risks and challenges they will have to navigate ahead are very real.
So how can students research and decide? Medical schools can go a long way in preparing early grads, making sure they have the guidelines and information they need to begin working. Other less traditional resources, for example Twitter or Reddit, can offer the real scoop, such as the availability of PPE and insights from medical students and residents who are working on the front lines, so you can make an informed decision.
What if you decide you don’t want to join your program early?
No medical student should feel pressure to graduate early. It’s important to emphasize that this should be an individual’s choice, not a requirement. Some students feel that if they turn down this moment to be “heroic” and “step up” then they will be judged for not answering the call. The journey of a medical student is not an easy one — it’s tough, and it takes a special person to decide to jump in to help in this scary scenario with unknown consequences. Any medical school worth its weight will emphasize this to students. There are many non-clinical ways medical students and others can help make an impact in the fight against COVID, including managing hotlines for COVID screening, indirect patient outreach such as refilling patient medications, and assisting in research.
The challenges of medicine
Before this pandemic began, our future doctors and nurses were already facing monumental challenges. Both professions are experiencing extremely high levels of burnout. Additionally, the Association of American Medical Colleges estimates by 2032, the U.S. could have a shortage of up to 122,000 physicians, putting additional pressure on an already overburdened workforce. COVID-19 will only deepen these challenges. Perhaps medicine has lost a bit of the glamour and splendor that drew so many in to begin with. However, in times of crisis such as this, it is all of the healthcare providers who move past the many flaws in our healthcare system and rise to the occasion. These future doctors and nurses are no different whether they decide to graduate early or not.
As a physician, I have thought deeply about whether or not these students are ready to jump into this fire early, and my answer is, if they choose to do so, then they are ready by their account. Just know: Whether you’re diving into a clinical situation to free up a seasoned doctor or nurse to help more ill COVID patients, staffing a COVID drive-through testing site, or graduating as planned in June, you’re making a significant difference in this world. Welcome! We need you now more than ever, and we are very proud to have you.
Tom Clifford, M.D., F.A.C.S., and CMO of Modio Health, a company based in San Francisco, is leading the way to digitizing credentialing for healthcare organizations, making the process quicker, safer, more efficient, and accurate.
