Blog  /  Insights

Med students graduate early to help combat COVID-19

A med student in a cap and gown stands facing a large screen in a dimly lit arena, reflecting on graduating early during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In an effort to combat COVID-19, NYU medical school is offering senior students the unprecedented opportunity to graduate early so they can begin working in the field as early as April. This controversial decision is yielding a mixed reaction from Sermo physicians…

According to a poll of 1,700+ Sermo physicians that was launched on March 25, 52% responded that they support giving med students the opportunity to graduate early in order to help fight the pandemic. Although a slight majority supports this measure and also believes that other medical schools should follow suit—63% of Sermo physicians expressed concern that students who graduate early may not have enough knowledge or experience. 

However, given the dire situation, it appears that many Sermo physicians agree that the risks associated with the COVID-19 epidemic outweigh the risks of allowing med students to graduate early to begin working in the field. 

Here are a few examples of the 282 comments by Sermo physicians on this topic: