From the classroom to the front line — Assembly

Final-year medical student Priya Biju discusses volunteering for the NHS during the COVID-19 crisis.

When the U.K.’s National Health Service (NHS) needed additional support to tackle the COVID-19 crisis, final-year medical student Priya Biju was quick to volunteer. With just three months left until she completed her degree, she knew she could be an asset to overwhelmed hospitals and joined medical students around the world in helping out on the front line.

“I went from being a final-year medical student shadowing junior doctors on the ward to taking on the role of a substitute foundation doctor in the NHS during a pandemic,” Priya shares. “This was a huge change and I am proud of myself for taking on this challenge and coping well despite the struggles. It is a privilege to work in the NHS and to offer a helping hand during this pandemic.”

Priya was inspired to go into the field after seeing another front-line worker in action: her mother. “My mum is a nurse and I grew up watching her come home from work tired and exhausted. Yet, I saw the great passion she had to serve others and her love for her profession inspired and motivated me,” she says.

Priya thrived during her five years as a medical student at the University of Liverpool. She loved the all-nighters, group study sessions and assisting in surgeries. But she also has faced sexism from patients. “Many times, during ward rounds or when going over to take history or blood, patients assume that I am a nurse,” Priya shares. “This week, I went to review a patient alongside a male physiotherapist and the patient referred to the physiotherapist as ‘doctor’ and kept referring to me as ‘nurse.’ The amount of times this has occurred is unbelievable.”

Despite these challenges, Priya loves her job and wants to support the next generation of doctors. “I have started a YouTube channel this year called ‘Ash & Priya’ and I am hoping to upload videos relating to my journey into medical school,” Priya says. “I am hoping to share the love I have for medicine and inspire young people to consider a career in medicine.”

While she was home from work due to COVID-19 symptoms, I spoke to Priya about volunteering with the NHS ahead of her medical school graduation, balancing her work with her concerns about her dad’s health and what we can all do to help keep medical professionals safe.

Tess Thomas (TT): Why did you decide to volunteer for the NHS during the pandemic?

Priya Biju (PB): This is an unprecedented time for the NHS. Hospitals all over the U.K. are stretched due to the increase in demand and the number of potential cases. Doctors who are working at the front line are also stretched because of high risk of infectivity and the need to self-isolate if they or their households develop symptoms.

I felt that this is a time for students like myself to step up and show our commitment and give something back to our society. I considered it a privilege to have the opportunity to work as a sub-foundation doctor in the NHS during the pandemic. When I decided to volunteer for the NHS, I only had about three months of training left, so I was very confident in my skill set and ability to care for the patients and to work effectively as part of a team.

TT: What contributions do you think students like you can make during the crisis?

PB: With students on the wards, the doctors can then be spread out to other areas where there is higher need, like the acute medical unit and A&E [accident and emergency department]. Therefore, we can take over and carry out the majority of a junior doctor’s roles on the wards under the guidance of senior staff.

TT: What emotions do you feel as you head to the hospital each day and as you’re working on the front lines of the pandemic?

PB: As a final-year student, I wasn’t anxious to work on the wards, because this is what we have been doing for the last 2.5 years of our clinical training. We had developed the necessary clinical and communication skills to work at the level of a foundation year doctor, but there is an element of anxiety creeping in and this was purely because of the fear of the unknown. Once I started working on the wards, I received excellent support from senior colleagues, which made me feel at ease. I was excited to wake up and head to hospital each day, I have never felt surer in my decision to become a doctor.

Many of my patients I looked after on the ward were tested positive for COVID and moved to red wards. I feel honoured to have looked after them and been involved in their care. I have had some elderly patients on the ward who survived COVID against the odds, and I cannot explain the happiness and satisfaction that gives me.

TT: Tell me about your dad and his struggle with COVID-19 symptoms.

PB: My parents were very supportive in my decision to volunteer in the NHS during the pandemic, although they were concerned about my well-being. I was a week into my placement when my father started having symptoms of COVID. I kept reassuring him that the symptoms will settle down in a couple of days, however he became very unwell with pneumonia and COVID symptoms. He was taken into hospital twice and remained unwell for a month. This was a very difficult time for myself and my family. The fact I could not go visit him was very stressful for me, especially seeing unwell patients at work who kept reminding me of my dad. Fortunately, I had a lot of support from church members, friends and loved ones during those difficult times.

TT: As a health care professional who is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms yourself, what do you think leaders can be doing to better protect the medical community?

PB: Education is one of the prime factors to influence and protect the medical community. Health care professionals are at a significant risk of contracting the virus due to the close proximity with patients and often the inability to maintain social distances when working together at the hospital. Raising awareness and providing education about appropriate PPE wear, maintaining good hygiene measures and ensuing appropriate distancing should be encouraged. It is also important to conduct risk assessment on medical professionals.

TT: What can our readers do to help limit the spread of the virus and protect their communities?

PB: Listen to the advice given to you by your authorities. Rules are there for your protection: Adhere to social distancing measures and practice good hygiene. You need to remember that there are many people tested positive without having any symptoms. From this we know that many of us are silent carriers of coronavirus, so avoid contact with people who you do not live with. Let’s work together to prevent the spread of coronavirus so we can get rid of it for good.

We have edited and condensed this interview for clarity.