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COVID.. HOUSING ISSUES, ROTATIONS WITHOUT MASKS, KEEPING STUDENTS IN SCHOOL


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Wondering if anyone could provide guidance bc I honestly think my program is breaking major rules here. 

 

So our university has announced full suspension of classes and moving everything to online format until April. My department however has this strange rule of allowing meetings of 15 people or less to congregate amid the virus. My program has decided we will study online and take exams in person (they dont want cheating). Mind you there are two positive cases within a 5 mile radius of my town and we are pretty much right next to NYC. There’s positive cases and a death from COVID right nearby which explains why our university shut everything down. MY PA program however wants to force students to come in for exams in small groups and stagger them so it meets this 15 person criteria. Now that lec is online everyone is traveling back to Boston, NYC, etc etc and coming back for exams (possibly increasing the chance of exposure). They are not offering completely online learning in order to protect us. 

 

Second year students say rotations are a free for all. As of right now they are working with sick pts and not being provided masks bc they are not technically employees. 

 

Another HUGE issue I have is that the school issued a statement telling everyone including grad students to leave campus. Our program immediately contacted those that live on campus after that email and basically told some people “its in your best interest to STAY on campus bc you have exams” and basically offered no alternative. To make this even work they had to sign a paper with housing saying they were okay with staying. So basically our program manipulated people into staying, offered no alternative, and encouraged people to stay on campus regardless of what the entire university told them. 

Faculty has told some first years that we should essentially get used to this bc we will be providers soon. Key word here is soon. I’m not a provider right now nor am I being paid, I’m paying them. Why encourage exposure and disregard community health right now? 

Thoughts? 

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I completely agree. Supposedly the ARC is not budging, by pushing continued rotations, classes, exams etc. But I also think/know it is per the faculty at each program. For sure.. we are not licensed yet to give up our safety and health. Im on rotations and the clinics have more common sense than the ARC by sending students home. It's either about money for ARC to push continue rotations or each programs is sacrificing morals/ethics to keep the accreditations. It's insane!

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Update: my program finally budged and took people off rotations. Took them long enough, I KNEW NYC (our neighbors) would be the ones hit the hardest. 

 

ARC is a mess. They essentially retracted their old message after the backlash and lack of guidance. 

 

My program is a literal joke. They still were planning 15 people or less for exams for a while and still had us come in after the pandemic was announced. 

 

When news finally broke and we all left to go home (as expected) a med student in our building tested positive. My program clearly doesn’t give a f*** about my health and that’s clear but DO NOT endanger my family, that’s where I draw the line. 

 

My parents are disgusted with the programs decisions and how long it took and it’s evident they made the decision because they were essentially forced by the univ/state regulations. Sad they didn’t have more common sense than this to suspend it before sh** really hit the fan. 

 

I’m glad I’m young and learned fast about the rules of the game because I keep up with the news. Programs don’t care about you they care about their numbers. Hospitals will essentially throw you into a fire without the necessary equiptment. At least now I know I’M the one who has to prepare for this kind of stuff. 

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I understand venting but this post is super immature. Did you bring this up to your program? What did they say when you told them you didn’t feel safe in the hospital? What alternatives did you propose? There are many students who wish they weren’t being forced to the sidelines right now who would have gladly taken your place. 

Thoughts?

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