In the United States, several medical schools are considering early graduation for senior students to enable them to enter the healthcare system that is coming under strain and meet the growing demand for medical personnel as Coronavirus cases in the country increase rapidly.

New York University’s Grossman School of Medicine announced last week that it is planning to allow senior students to graduate early in response to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s directive to get more physicians into the health system quickly.

According to reports, nearly 70 students have volunteered to graduate early and are willing to start their internship at New York hospitals in April instead of waiting until July. New York is the epicentre of the COVID-19 outbreak in the US. The state now has more than 52,000 COVID-19 cases.

In Massachusetts, all four medical schools are also in discussions with the Massachusetts Health and Human Services to have a fast-track option.