University of Otago TI electives update

The University of Otago has now granted terms under special conditions to fifty medical students who failed to meet elective attendance requirements. This followed commitments by all fifty students to further remedial work, and meetings of the Medical School’s Fitness to Practise Committee and Board of Censors last week. Three other students in the initial group of 53 students were reassessed as meeting attendance requirements in light of additional evidence.

Details of individual remedial packages will be finalised with each of the students across December, and will require approval by the Otago Medical School. Each approved package will include significant additional community work – and possible further academic work – to make up for missed time; provision of a reflective essay; and resubmission of corrective elective reports in any cases where these were misleading. Due to these ongoing remedial work requirements, the students will not be able to graduate in December. Students will also repay training grants for weeks of elective missed.

The Dean of the Medical School, Professor Barry Taylor, notes that as elective placements are aimed at broadening overall experience rather than teaching essential clinical skills, the students involved are already qualified to commence clinical work. On that basis, it was determined that remedial work subsequent to the grant of terms was acceptable, so as to not unduly delay the entry of a significant number of new doctors into the workforce.

With the granting of terms, the New Zealand Medical Council will now consider registration for the students concerned through its processes.
Professor Taylor accepts that these circumstances have been an upsetting end to what has been a lengthy period of study and hard work.

“However, I am confident the students can move past the upset and disappointment and move forward with their professional careers. I have every confidence they will enjoy success and make a valuable contribution to the health of communities in which they serve,” he says.

They have been awarded terms and are technically “graduands” rather than graduates until they fulfil these commitments. So they have not been awarded their degrees yet until have completed their special commitments – the consequences outlined in this statement.

And – just to close the loop - being awarded terms means the Medical Council is then able to decide whether they can be registered.