A group of health professionals will today become the UK’s first doctors to qualify after completing a predominantly part-time medical degree.

The 20 graduates from the University of Edinburgh are the first cohort to complete the HCP-Med for Healthcare Professionals programme – a unique undergraduate course designed to widen access to medical careers.

Launched to support healthcare staff, clinical scientists and veterinary surgeons looking to retrain, the programme is offered remotely on a part-time basis for the first three years, allowing students to balance work, study and family commitments.

The final two years are delivered full time, with students joining traditional medical undergraduates in Edinburgh for placements across hospitals and GP surgeries.

While the course has a strong early emphasis on local GP placements, in hopes of attracting more students to a career in this much-needed speciality, graduates can specialise in any area of medicine.

The course is also specially designed to encourage people typically underrepresented in standard medical programmes – students from rural areas or less advantaged backgrounds – to consider a career as a doctor.

Dr Jen Kennedy, Programme Director HCP-MED, said the experience gained by the graduates earlier in their careers will be beneficial in their role as doctors:

“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”.

One of today’s graduates is Calum MacDonald, a former staff nurse and advanced critical care practitioner from Glasgow.

The HCP-Med programme allowed Calum to stay in Glasgow and juggle work and part-time study, while also managing family life after becoming a father in his second year.

Now a newly qualified doctor, Calum has secured a foundation post in Glasgow and is considering specialising in anaesthetics or general practice.

Calum 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.”

The first cohort of HCP-Med graduates enter the profession at a difficult time for doctors in Scotland.

The number of training posts currently doesn’t match demand, while GPs have entered formal dispute with the Scottish government over funding. 

A national programme to inform long-term medical workforce planning is now underway, aiming to ensure Scotland can train and retain the doctors it needs.

Professor David Kluth, Head of Edinburgh Medical School, said widening access to medicine is part of the solution to build a workforce fit for the future:

“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.”

 

Read more: Insight: A new route for NHS staff into medicine; Scotland’s first postgrad medical degree "on track"; Probe into future of NHS Scotland’s doctors underway;

 

Sign up to our bulletin for key health & social care updates straight to your inbox.