Medical students in Nottingham are graduating early to allow them to support the NHS in its "hour of need" in its response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Those in their final years studying medical degrees at the University of Nottingham will graduate around three months ahead of schedule on April 8 if they passed their final examinations and satisfactorily completed all their clinical skills and fitness to practice assessments.
Once they have graduated, the students will be eligible to gain provisional registration to practice with the General Medical Council.
Due to the restrictions around the coronavirus outbreak, the University of Nottingham has postponed all UK graduation ceremonies but has pledged that these will still go ahead at a later date.
Professor John Atherton, pro-vice-chancellor and dean of the University of Nottingham’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, said: "Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures and we are incredibly proud that our talented graduates are able to step up to support the NHS in its hour of need, responding to the unprecedented pressures created by this coronavirus pandemic."
"Of course, we realise that their sense of pride in volunteering may also be accompanied by the disappointment of missing out on their normal graduation ceremonies in July.
"We absolutely want to reassure our students that this is simply a postponement and that we will come together at a future date to celebrate all their hard work and recognise their enormous achievements.”
As part of the ‘opt in’ national initiative being led by Health Education England, the graduates could then volunteer to join the UK Foundation Programme early as a Foundation Interim Year 1.
After this, they will be qualified to complete tasks as part of a clinical team such as note taking, ordering investigations and completing discharge paperwork under the supervision of more senior doctors.
They would be allowed to work in this role until starting their formal Foundation Year 1 training in August.
Graduates who volunteer to take up the early placement on the UK Foundation Programme will be offered full induction, training and supervision and appropriate protective equipment.
Other duties they will be eligible to perform will be basic procedures including taking blood samples, inserting an intravenous cannula to allow administering of fluids and, where they have passed their Prescribing Safety Assessment (PSA), supervised prescribing.
Nottingham medical students who are re-sitting finals or awaiting the result of clinical and fitness to practice assessments will also have the chance to volunteer after the successful completion of these in mid-May.
