Columbia Med Students Can Graduate Early To Fight Coronavirus

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, MANHATTAN — Columbia University's medical school will let its students graduate early to join the fight against the new coronavirus, the school confirmed.

A spokesperson with Columbia University confirmed with Patch on Thursday that the school's Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, which is on West 168th Street, will become the second New York City-based medical school to let its students graduate early after a call from Gov. Andrew Cuomo for more physicians in overwhelmed New York hospitals.

New York University's Grossman School of Medicine announced a similar plan to let its fourth-year students start practicing medicine in April, three months early, on Wednesday.

At Columbia, students who were scheduled to graduate in May will now be able to end school April 15 and start working at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.

"The number of confirmed cases in the New York City area climbs every day, and we have begun redeploying physicians and clinical staff to help us manage the surge of seriously ill patients in our emergency department and on our hospital inpatient units," the school's deans wrote in a letter to students.

"Many of you have asked how you can help in this time of great need. At this point in your education, each of you has demonstrated that you possess the knowledge and clinical skills to play a vital role in this effort."

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Students who take up the school on the offer will be able to work at the New York hospital until they leave for their residency, and stay in campus housing until then, the school said.

They added that those who don't decide to graduate early can still fill non-clinical volunteer positions to help fight against the coronavirus, and stay in campus housing until their leases are up.

The Columbia plan is similar to NYU's early graduation, which about half of the Grossman School of Medicine's 122 fourth-year students took the school up on. Those students will start their medical internship, joining a team of practicing physicians in NYU hospitals, in the beginning of April instead of the typical July 1 start date.

Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio have both called on any able health care professionals to join the fight against COVID-19, which is already overwhelming some city hospitals as cases spiked to more than 20,000 on Wednesday evening.

NYU, and likely Columbia, will first need approval for the plan from the state's Department of Education, Middle States Commission on Higher Education and the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, though a vice dean with NYU said all three bodies had already reacted positively to the idea.

Cuomo also seemed on board this week, tweeting his support for NYU's early graduation.

Both he and Mayor Bill de Blasio have both called on any able health care professionals to join the fight against COVID-19, which is already overwhelming some city hospitals as cases spiked to more than 20,000 in New York City on Wednesday evening.

So far, 40,000 people across the state have signed up as a surge healthcare force, Cuomo said Wednesday. That includes 2,000 retired health care professionals who stepped up within one day of the call for help.