NYU medical school allowing students to graduate early to help combat coronavirus

New York University is allowing its medical students to graduate early to help fight the increasing cases of coronavirus in New York City. 

In case you missed it:

This evening we were the FIRST media outlet to break the news the @NYUGrossman School of Medicine has offered early graduation to the class of 20, permitting them to start working as doctors 3 months early.

Dean's email and at https://t.co/NuVbxO2abY. pic.twitter.com/2oCgp3UfZe

— Brief19, your daily roundup of SARS-nCoV-2. (@Brief_19) March 25, 2020

The Grossman School of Medicine sent an email to its students Tuesday explaining that students have the option to graduate early and begin interning before the July 1 date. The email was obtained by Brief19, a group of doctors broadcasting updates on the coronavirus. 

Speaking with Business Insider, Kate Malenczak, a spokesperson for New York University's Langone Health, wrote in an email that, "In response to the growing spread of COVID-19, and in response to Governor Cuomo's directive to get more physicians into the health system more quickly, NYU Grossman School of Medicine and NYU have agreed to permit early graduation for its medical students, pending approval from the New York State Department of Education, Middle States, and the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME)."

According to the email, this is a volunteer option that is open to students outside the fields of emergency medicine or internal medicine. 

Conditions include having met all graduation requirements and volunteering to work as a MD at NYU’s Internal Medicine and Emergency Medicine departments. 

Students who participate will be fully compensated as an interning graduate and receive full benefits. The email asks for the recipient to complete a survey to gauge interest in this option.

According to Johns Hopkins CSSE data, there are currently 55,238 confirmed cases in the U.S. New York City alone has 15,597 cases and has recorded 192 deaths.