UEA medics will be able to graduate without doing their final exams

UEA medics will be able to graduate this year without sitting their final exams after the University cancelled them because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A UEA spokesperson told The Norwich Tab medics will be judged on their “progression through their five years of study, and on confirmation of graduation from the University in July.”

After their graduation, UEA medical students will be registered by the General Medical Council; (GMC), which will enable them to work in the NHS as a qualified doctor.

“I feel a mixture of things,” a UEA medic told The Norwich Tab. “Obviously the situation cannot be helped. But it does feel a little bit anti-climatic to end five years via email.”

Stock image via SWNS

The spokesperson told The Norwich Tab: “In light of the COVID-19 outbreak the written component of assessment for final year medical students has been cancelled for 2020. This decision was not taken lightly by UEA and took into consideration guidance from the GMC and Medical Schools Council.

“The final year students have successfully completed extensive assessments throughout their five-year course. In this final year, they have spent 20 weeks on clinical placement and over four days in March have undertaken an extensive clinical assessment that maps to both their final year as well as the preceding four years of the course.

“An exam board will review students’ progression through their five years of study, and on confirmation of graduation from the University in July, the GMC will register them to enable them to begin work in the NHS as a qualified Doctor from August.

“In the meantime, given the need to support the NHS workforce in these difficult times, medical students can volunteer to work in the NHS, although they will not be able to undertake the duties of a qualified doctor.

“We have advised students that they must act within their competence, whilst being supervised and safe. We know that some students have already been volunteering and we are incredibly proud of them for this.

“Guidance has been provided to both students affected, and local NHS providers and we are working with them to explore opportunities for our students to contribute.”