Work by final-year medical students, who will start helping out at Mater Dei as the hospital deals with the coronavirus outbreak, will only count as practice if they are not paid for the job.

Times of Malta last week reported that chosen fifth year students will “assist the medical doctors” in treating patients as well as “assist in the diagnostic tests and interpreting their outcomes and results, especially to identify the illness, such as infections and fever”.

The students had until Tuesday to apply.

When the call was first issued, some of the students had been irked by the fact that the hours spent working would not count as part of the required time at hospital needed in their training. They had told Times of Malta they would be willing to work for free if it meant the hours counted as practice.

It has since emerged that the students have been given other options in an effort to address their concerns.

According to a medical source, students who opt to work and get paid for their time at the hospital would not be able to put down the hours as part of their practice. They will be paid €8.45 per hour.

Students given other options in an effort to address their concerns

If, alternatively, the students preferred having the hours go towards the required eight-week placement, they would have to do the job without getting paid, the medical source explained.

According to a notice sent to all fifth-year students this week, seen by Times of Malta, if the COVID-19 situation persists, students may volunteer to extend this placement beyond the mandatory eight-week period.

“After the eight weeks of mandatory attachments are up, students can either stop placements or can continue working at Mater Dei Hospital, providing that exams have not been scheduled to happen exactly after the eight weeks,” the students have been told.

The situation is currently “very fluid” and there is no indication regarding scheduling of such exams, the notice states.

Students can also decide to wait to complete their studies when schools and universities re-open although, so far, there have not been any indication as to when this might be.

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