First doctors in UK to graduate through part-time study celebrate
The University of Edinburgh group has completed an 'innovative' five-year programme, known as HCP- Med for Healthcare Professionals, which aims to offer people already working in health the flexibility to become doctors.
It is open exclusively to existing healthcare professionals, clinical scientists and veterinary surgeons living and working in Scotland.
The course has been designed to address the increasing demand on the healthcare workforce in Scotland and has a strong emphasis on GP placements.
The first three years of the undergraduate course are conducted part-time and mainly online, so that students can study in their own time while balancing work and other commitments.
After completing their remote studies, students then join the university's full-time undergraduate medical programme for the final two years and carry out a range of clinical placements in GP practice and hospital wards.
Dr Jen Kennedy, programme director HCP-MED, said: 'We have lots of incredibly talented people working within the NHS in Scotland who may have missed the traditional route to become doctors.
'By creating this new pathway and widening access to medical degrees, we are able to nurture their talent and use their valuable experience to enhance the healthcare workforce.'
Calum MacDonald, who started his career as a staff nurse in an intensive care unit in Glasgow, is part of the first cohort of students who graduated from the programme on Saturday.
His experience working in intensive care and subsequent training to become an advanced critical care practitioner, a role he has held since 2016, led him to consider a career as a doctor.
He became a father in his second year of the course and the programme enabled him to stay in Glasgow and balance work with part time study and family life.
Now a newly qualified doctor, he has secured a foundation post in Glasgow and will rotate across seven specialties.
He said: 'I'm very proud to fly the flag for the HCP-Med programme – it's been a challenging but incredibly rewarding journey.
'Being able to continue working as a nurse while studying medicine was a huge financial incentive.
I am delighted to be graduating today and am excited to start my placement as a junior doctor in Glasgow.'
He is considering specialising in anaesthetics or general practice.
Alongside the part-time study, students receive full funding from the Scottish Funding Council which the university said makes it an attractive route to retrain for those already working within the healthcare industry.
Professor David Kluth, head of Edinburgh Medical School, said: 'I am very proud that Edinburgh is the first university in the UK to offer this innovative part-time programme.
'We are committed to doing all we can to empower individuals to reach their full potential and to widen access to medicine for future generations.
'The students on this programme bring with them a rich diversity of backgrounds, experiences and skills – from prior careers to lived experience of the communities they will serve.
'This breadth of talent and perspective is vital in building a more inclusive, adaptable, and effective medical workforce for Scotland.'
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Edinburgh Live
2 hours ago
- Edinburgh Live
Pioneering Edinburgh graduates become first doctors to qualify through part-time study
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Twenty graduates are celebrating after becoming the first group of doctors in the UK to qualify through part-time study. The University of Edinburgh group has completed an "innovative" five-year programme, known as HCP-Med for Healthcare Professionals, which aims to offer people already working in health the flexibility to become doctors. It is open exclusively to existing healthcare professionals, clinical scientists and veterinary surgeons living and working in Scotland. The course has been designed to address the increasing demand on the healthcare workforce in Scotland and has a strong emphasis on GP placements. The first three years of the undergraduate course are conducted part-time and mainly online so that students can study in their own time while balancing work and other commitments. After completing their remote studies, students then join the university's full-time undergraduate medical programme for the final two years and carry out a range of clinical placements in GP practice and hospital wards. Dr Jen Kennedy, programme director HCP-MED, said: "We have lots of incredibly talented people working within the NHS in Scotland who may have missed the traditional route to become doctors. "By creating this new pathway and widening access to medical degrees, we are able to nurture their talent and use their valuable experience to enhance the healthcare workforce." Sign up for Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox Calum MacDonald, who started his career as a staff nurse in an intensive care unit in Glasgow, is part of the first cohort of students who graduated from the programme on Saturday. His experience working in intensive care and subsequent training to become an advanced critical care practitioner, a role he has held since 2016, led him to consider a career as a doctor. He became a father in his second year of the course and the programme enabled him to stay in Glasgow and balance work with part-time study and family life. Now a newly qualified doctor, he has secured a foundation post in Glasgow and will rotate across seven specialities. He said: "I'm very proud to fly the flag for the HCP-Med programme - it's been a challenging but incredibly rewarding journey. "Being able to continue working as a nurse while studying medicine was a huge financial incentive. I am delighted to be graduating today and am excited to start my placement as a junior doctor in Glasgow." Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages. He is considering specialising in anaesthetics or general practice. Alongside the part-time study, students receive full funding from the Scottish Funding Council which the university said makes it an attractive route to retrain for those already working within the healthcare industry. Professor David Kluth, head of Edinburgh Medical School, said: "I am very proud that Edinburgh is the first university in the UK to offer this innovative part-time programme. "We are committed to doing all we can to empower individuals to reach their full potential and to widen access to medicine for future generations. The students on this programme bring with them a rich diversity of backgrounds, experiences and skills - from prior careers to lived experience of the communities they will serve. "This breadth of talent and perspective is vital in building a more inclusive, adaptable, and effective medical workforce for Scotland."
The Independent
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That is despite intensified efforts to crack down on the flourishing illicit market, as staff in the crumbling prison estate battle against increasingly adept drone deliveries and hard-to-detect substances. Official data shows there were a total of 21,145 drug seizures in the year to March 2024 – a rise of 35 per cent on the previous year, and close to an all-time high of 21,575 hit four years prior. Of the seizures made last year, more than 7,200 drug finds in the year to March 2024 were logged as 'unknown' substances. Nearly 5,000 others were categorised as 'psychoactive substances' – which can include the synthetic cannabinoid spice – and more than 3,000 as 'other'. The Independent previously revealed that new super-strength synthetic opioids now infiltrating the UK drugs market had already claimed lives behind bars, with two deaths in June 2022 at HMP Lewes caused by overdoses of isotonitazene, a substance 250 times stronger than heroin. But experts warn that, in both prison seizures and post-mortem examinations, officials are still failing to test for these new opioids, which have been discovered in not just heroin but illicit vapes, diazepam and codeine pills. When nitazenes were discovered during a prison seizure in 2023, the government claimed the sample was deemed to be too dangerous for the private laboratory to handle. The Independent' s analysis of official data underscored the rapid explosion in the crisis during the austerity years led by the former Tory government, when funding cuts saw experienced officers laid off and drug treatment avenues diminish. There were an average of 3,813 annual drug seizures in prisons over the eight years to 2014, but this soared to a yearly average of 15,350 over the following decade. From 2014, confiscations skyrocketed from fewer than 4,500 to more than 21,000 just six years later. Mr Trace said 'massive austerity cuts' from 2012 onwards saw long-serving prison staff replaced with 'relatively inexperienced and poorly trained officers ' – resulting in the loss of 'an awful lot of prison craft experience' and handing 'much more freedom to prisoners to exploit laxer security to build up drug trade'. Simultaneously, the number of addiction treatment programmes in prisons, such as drug-free wings, were slashed from 110 in 2013 to around 15 just six years later, according to Mr Trace. It coincided with the arrival of spice – which is easier to produce and circulate behind bars than cannabis – and 'increased the incentives of drug dealing gangs to target prisons'. Now, the arrival of drones – which Mr Trace describes as the 'current front line in the arms race for dealing' – have taken the drugs trade to 'another level', with a single delivery capable of serving a prison for a month. 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The Guardian
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