Medical students from University College London who were fast-tracked onto the NHS coronavirus frontline donned “lockdown costumes” for an online graduation ceremony.
Many of the 300 students accepted the challenge to make a hat to replace traditional mortar boards for Saturday’s Zoom event.
Some joined the virtual ceremony in scrubs from the hospital where they have started work.
More than 160 are volunteering in some capacity and 224 will be taking up formal NHS Foundation Interim Year 1 doctor posts this week.
Megan Hollands, who was pictured on the Standard’s front page on April 1 as she headed to the Royal Free hospital, said: “I celebrated by sitting outside my flat with some prosecco, wearing a bin bag.”
Sophie Bracke, who is due to become a junior doctor at the Royal Free, created a mortar board with her kitten Mistie on top.
She said: “Although the end of medical school has turned out differently than planned, I still got the outcome I have always dreamed of — to become a doctor.”
Dr William Coppola, sub-dean at UCL Medical School, called forward groups of 20 students at a time on Zoom to “doff their cap”.
