New York University is offering its senior medical students the option to graduate early and begin working as resident doctors amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“In response to the growing spread of Covid-19, and in response to Governor Cuomo’s directive to get more physicians into the health system more quickly, NYU Grossman School of Medicine and NYU have agreed to permit early graduation for its medical students, pending approval from the New York State Department of Education, Middle States and the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME),” a spokesperson for NYU told CNN in an email.
Senior medical students at NYU received an email about the decision on Tuesday night.
“With the growing spread of Covid-19, our hospitals (are) inundated with patients, and our colleagues on the front lines working extra-long hours, we are still short-staffed in emergency and internal medicine,” the school’s deans said in the email.
NYU administrators are currently gauging student interest with a survey and waiting approval from state and education boards.
Medical schools in Italy and the United Kingdom have already given the option to fast-track students into doctors.
By the numbers: New York has been hit hard by the virus, with over 30,000 cases statewide and 285 deaths.