Hundreds of Hallam students sign up to volunteer on NHS frontline to fight coronavirus

What heroes!


Over 600 Hallam health students  have volunteered to join the NHS frontline to help fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

The final year students, 376 of whom are nurses, will be supporting key staff within the hospitals, including nursing, midwifery, radiotherapy, physio and even end of life care departments.

Speaking to BBC Look North, one student, Megan, described how she will be stationed either in the ICU or neonatal unit at Barnsley hospital. She said: “I am feeling anxious, as it is obviously where the poorliest people are going to be.”

Another student volunteering on the frontline, Greg, said: “It’s scary but I’m sure there is a lot of support for us. It’s good to see trusts incorporating students into the workforce and getting a bit of recognition for it.”

Dr. Toni Schwarz, the Dean of Health and Wellbeing at Sheffield Hallam University, heaped praise on the brave students and said: “I’m immensely proud of all of the students nationwide, but I am particularly proud of our Hallam students.”

Professor Sally Shearer, from the Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are indebted to those final year students in the last six months of their education who have kindly opted to undertake an extended placement period,  joining our teams and providing frontline care during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

In order to properly equip the students for the frontline, Hallam is delivering training sessions on the latest Covid-19 guidance and oxygen therapy, as well as guidance on the necessary PPE and how the students can protect their own mental wellbeing.

One student, speaking to ITV, said: “We are obviously all a little bit nervous going out and experiencing things that no one has ever experienced before.”

All positions will be paid and the students can opt in or out at any time.

Are you one of the students volunteering on the frontline? We’d love to hear your stories. DM The Tab Sheffield on Facebook or @thetabsheffield on Instagram, or email [email protected].

We wish all our heroic Hallam health students joining the front line the very best of luck for the start of their careers.