Northern Ireland

Newly-qualifying medical students to benefit from extended period of `role-shadowing'

Aisling McCarthy, chair of BMA's Northern Ireland medical students committee
Aisling McCarthy, chair of BMA's Northern Ireland medical students committee Aisling McCarthy, chair of BMA's Northern Ireland medical students committee

NEWLY-qualifying medical students are to benefit from an extended period of `role-shadowing'.

Health Minister Robin Swann has announced nearly £160,000 of additional funding as part of a UK-wide initiative to support final year students preparing for transition into the health and social care workforce.

The support package is part of a strategy in response to the impacts of pandemic, which has decreased the patient contact time and teaching interactions for final year medical students.

Support will be in the form of extra role shadowing time - helping to bridge the conversion from being a student to a fully integrated member of the health and social care system.

Final year student Aisling McCarthy, chair of BMA's Northern Ireland medical students committee, applauded the announcement.

"We welcome this extended period of role-shadowing for final year medical students who just this week received their final exam results and are now looking forward to becoming practising foundation year one doctors in the summer," she said.

"This has been a very challenging 12 months for final year medical students and, indeed, all medical students. Not only have clinical placements and patient contact time been significantly disrupted due to the pandemic, students have had to navigate the isolation of remote learning away from their peers and, in some cases, deal with the added anxiety of technical issues disrupting some online exams.

"The opportunity to spend time shadowing senior doctors ahead of taking up trainee clinical posts in August will go some way to enhancing our confidence as we embark on the first steps of what we hope will be long careers in the health service."

Dr Ian Steele from the Northern Ireland Medical and Dental Training Agency said the funding would give 252 new doctors an opportunity to start shadowing more senior colleagues a week earlier than usual.

"Spending time in the clinical environment will help them to become more familiar and comfortable with their new role," he added.

Mr Swann said health ministers across Britain and Northern Ireland were united in providing this support, further enabling medical students "to assimilate into the workforce as quickly as possible".

"This funding recognises the extra burden imposed by Covid-19 and strengthens my commitment to provide the very best opportunities for all our present and future Health and social care staff," he said.