As if being a medical student in itself wasn’t enough to keep you busy, these days we get to spend extra time worrying about what it means to be a medical student in the time of COVID!
Whether this be how to manage hospital placements and PPE, what our vaccination requirements are, what we do if we are a close contact, or even if we get COVID ourselves. This page will hopefully help you with answering some of these questions.
Disclaimer: Please note that this page provides accurate advice regarding Medical Faculty and Central University requirements and recommendations as of its publication date. We will strive to keep this updated, but please understand that the ultimate source of information will be from the MD Program Community Page on LMS.
Contributors: Emily Hackett, Jun-Ting Yeung Last edited: 2022-04-27
What COVID-related requirements must I fulfil as a medical student?
All years: Vaccination - you must be double vaccinated, and receive your third booster shot within 1 month of becoming due (that is, 3 months after your first dose). Evidence of your vaccination must be uploaded onto your Sonia Dashboard. It’s not a bad idea to get your Service WA app ready to go with your vaccination status also, since this will make it easier showing proof to UWA and hospital venues.
Clinical years (MD2+): Fit testing - you must be formally fit tested for your N95 mask size. This must be uploaded onto your Sonia Dashboard. It’s important to then remember which masks fit you and what they look like, and to do a fit check every time you put one on.
Clinical years (MD2+): PPE training - you must do the PPE Quiz on the MD Program Community Page on LMS and upload the certificate to your Sonia Dashboard. In addition, in-person PPE training days will be organized within your rotation.
How do I know if I am a close contact?
It is important to stick to the most up to date WA public health advice in regards to deciding if you are a close contact or not.
At this point in time, a close contact is someone who fulfils any of:
- Being a household member or intimate partner of a person with COVID-19, and have had contact with them during their infectious period (48h prior to symptom onset or positive test)
- You have had at least 4 hours of cumulative contact with a COVID-19 case in a residential setting, during their infectious period in a 24-hour period, with masks removed by both
- You are advised by WA Health that you are a close contact
If you are a close contact, you will not need to isolate if you are asymptomatic. However, you must adhere to the following advice where you are able to do so:
- Undertake daily RATs
- Wear a mask outside the home
- Work from home wherever possible (this might mean watching lectures online where they are recorded rather than attending in person)
- Avoid high risk gatherings
You should still be notifying the medical school that you are a close contact. If you are working in a high risk clinical area, you may want to discuss with your discipline coordinator and site supervisor whether they are happy for you to come into placement.
If you are a SYMPTOMATIC close contact, you must isolate for a full 7 days since the last date of contact with a COVID-19 case.
You might need to isolate because you are a close contact, you have symptoms and are awaiting a PCR test result, or because you have returned from traveling. Please note - don’t assume that travel-related isolation is a reasonable excuse to be absent from clinical placements or compulsory teaching! This should be something you have already worked out with the university through an application for leave.
Communications - Notify the medical school by the COVID attendance tracker on the MD Program Community Page on LMS (see Mandatory requirements sidebar)
- Contact your discipline coordinator to find out ways of joining or catching up on any missed face to face teaching
Logistics
1. Do a RAT or PCR test on day 1* 2. Do a PCR test on day 6 or a RAT test on day 7* 3. Return to placement after day 7 if all tests are negative and you are asymptomatic 4. For the next 7 days (this is day 8 - 14 since the exposure) do the following:
- Wear a mask as required in all placement areas (N95 if needed, surgical otherwise) - Do a RAT on day 8, 10, and 12 - Wear a surgical mask when traveling to and from placement - Avoid shared break areas - Avoid working with vulnerable peoples (immunocompromised) - If at any stage symptoms develop, isolate immediately and get tested (PCR / RAT) - Avoid entering high risk facilities (aged care, other residential care)
*If at any stage your RAT or PCR test is positive - you are now a COVID-19 case, and must manage as such (rather than as a close contact). See the next section for more information.
What do I do if I test positive?
Maybe you were a close contact who got tested, or maybe you developed some symptoms and got tested, either way you’re here now - and you’ve tested positive for COVID-19. First things first - look after yourself! If you’re sick, remember your health comes first. Don’t start getting ecstatic that you’ve finally got time to catch up on those online lectures. You need to make sure you’re giving yourself the best chance to get better. Keep hydrated, take some simple analgesia for pain relief, and make sure you’ve got someone to talk to if you’re feeling anxious or a bit overwhelmed. Now we can get onto the next few steps…
Communications 1. Notify the medical school by the COVID attendance tracker on the MD Program Community Page on LMS (see Mandatory requirements sidebar)
2. Contact your discipline coordinator to find out ways of joining or catching up on any missed face to face teaching
3. Notify the university by filling in their UWA student COVID-19 Positive Registrar here - https://uwa-advocate.symplicity.com/care_report/index.php/pid777980?
Logistics 1. Do a RAT or PCR test on day 1*
2. Do a PCR test on day 6 or a RAT test on day 7*
3. Return to placement after day 7 if all tests are negative and you are asymptomatic
Can I see suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients on placement?
There are a few things to take into account when considering if medical students should see suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients during their clinical placements.
1. The safety of the student - this includes their ability to use appropriate PPE (that they have been trained and fitted for), underlying health conditions.
2. The benefit of learning - what learning will be taken from the clinical encounter, and whether this can be gained in any other way.
3. The availability of PPE - it is important to try not be wasteful with PPE supplies, from both a conservation and environmental perspective.
4. Avoiding isolation - in order to not miss more clinical placement, or avoid other medical students or staff also having to isolate due to contact with you.
At this point in time, it is not recommended that students see confirmed COVID-19 patients. Only essential treating staff should be seeing these patients. However, this does not mean students will not come into contact with COVID-19 patients prior to their diagnosis, or in the ED setting (where COVID can present with a wide range of clinical features including respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms).
It is important to consider the points above, and use appropriate reasoning when assessing each situation, acknowledging that COVID-19 will be a fixture in the healthcare setting for the future, and that as doctors, we will be expected to manage it also.
