Med students offered early degree option to help in COVID-19 fight
This year’s graduating Harvard Medical School (HMS) students will have the option to receive their diplomas early so that, if they choose, they can quickly be deployed into hospitals where regular staff might soon be overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients. Fourth-year HMS students who have completed all their training and degree requirements, as well as graduating M.D. students from Boston University, Tufts University, and the University of Massachusetts, are being given the option to receive their diplomas before their scheduled graduation date in May. The change comes in response to a request to the schools from Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker and Massachusetts Secretary of Health and Human Services Marylou Sudders, citing an expected escalation in local health care workforce needs. Approximately 700 medical students in the Boston area are slated to graduate this spring. Because Harvard University grants HMS M.D. degrees, there were administrative issues to address before the option can become official for HMS...