MEDICAL STUDENTS JOIN COVENTRY & WARWICKSHIRE FRONTLINE FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19
14 April 2020
Medical students are supporting our health services across Coventry and Warwickshire in the fight against COVID-19.
Around 120 final year students from Warwick Medical School at The University of Warwick are delivering vital support to existing medical and other clinical staff with clerking patients, administrative tasks to support clinical teams, and operating a doctor ‘buddy’ system.
Sixty students are working at our NHS partner University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire and 30 each at our NHS partners South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust and George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust, Nuneaton.
All have already taken and passed their Finals examinations and achieved the required standard to deliver basic care in a highly-supervised clinical setting.
Professor Kiran Patel, Chief Medical Officer at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust and our Partnership’s Clinical Lead said: “I’ve been overwhelmed by the incredible response from our local medical school students who want to help the NHS in what is a really challenging time.
“The three NHS Trusts have worked collaboratively to support the employment and placement of the medical students to help our local communities.
“It’s really heartening to hear that so many of them are willing to step up at this critical time, I am very proud to be working alongside these brilliant individuals.”
Professor Sudhesh Kumar from Warwick Medical School said: “As Dean of Warwick Medical School I am both deeply proud and grateful that all these talented young medical students are adding their talent, energy and commitment to the frontline of the pandemic response in our region’s hospitals.”
Student Jonny Kaberry said: “Instead of going on elective placement this month, due to the increasing demand on the healthcare system here in the UK, we have decided to stay in Coventry and Warwickshire to support the local health services. We are happy that we are playing our part during this critical time.”
Dhivyaa Premachandra, another student, said: “This is what we’ve spent the last four years training for, so we’re really pleased be using those skills and knowledge to help support the NHS.”
Pictured left to right: Casie Sweeney, Professor Kiran Patel, Jodie Taylor, Adeola Salau, Jonny Kaberry and Mariam Pereira.