UK's first doctors to qualify through part-time study graduate at University of Edinburgh

Twenty graduates are celebrating at the University of Edinburgh after becoming the UK’s first cohort of doctors to qualify through part-time study.

The group will receive their degrees in a ceremony at the university’s McEwan Hall on Saturday.

Designed to address the increasing demand on the healthcare workforce in Scotland, the five-year programme – known as HCP-Med for Healthcare Professionals – aims to offer the flexibility to encourage people from all across Scotland to consider studying to become a doctor.

The programme is exclusively offered to existing healthcare professionals, clinical scientists and veterinary surgeons living and working in Scotland.

Calum MacDonald is a graduate from the first cohort of the HCP-Med programme, having started his career as a staff nurse in an intensive care unit in Glasgow.

His experience working in intensive care and subsequent training to become an advanced critical care practitioner – a role he has held since 2016 – led him to consider a career as a doctor.

The programme gave Calum the ability to stay in Glasgow and juggle work and part time study, while also managing family life after becoming a father in his second year.

Now a newly qualified doctor, Calum has secured a foundation post in Glasgow and will rotate across seven specialties.

Following the two-year foundation programme, Calum is considering specialising in anaesthetics or general practice.

Calum said: “I’m very proud to fly the flag for the HCP-Med programme – it’s been a challenging but incredibly rewarding journey. Being able to continue working as a nurse while studying medicine was a huge financial incentive. I am delighted to be graduating today and am excited to start my placement as a junior doctor in Glasgow.”

University chiefs said the programme offers “an innovative way to retain people within the healthcare workforce” and potentially enhance recruitment to shortage specialties in underserved areas of Scotland.

There is a strong emphasis on GP placements to encourage students to pursue careers in General Practice close to where they currently live and work.

The undergraduate programme – run by the University of Edinburgh’s Medical School – is the first of its kind in the UK, with the first three years being conducted part-time and predominantly online.

The flexibility means students can study in their own time while balancing work and other life commitments.

Alongside the part-time study, students also receive full funding from the Scottish Funding Council making it an attractive route to retrain those already working within the healthcare industry.

After completing their remote studies, students then join the University’s full-time undergraduate medical programme for the final two years, undertaking a range of clinical placements in hospital wards and GP practice.

Medical courses often have underrepresentation from students from rural areas and less advantaged backgrounds. By gearing the programme towards experienced professionals, it is opening up a key avenue to help talented people who hadn’t previously considered a career as a doctor.

Dr Jen Kennedy, programme director HCP-MED, said: “We have lots of incredibly talented people working within the NHS in Scotland who may have missed the traditional route to become doctors. By creating this new pathway and widening access to medical degrees, we are able to nurture their talent and use their valuable experience to enhance the healthcare workforce”.

Professor David Kluth, head of Edinburgh Medical School, said: “I am very proud that Edinburgh is the first university in the UK to offer this innovative part-time programme. We are committed to doing all we can to empower individuals to reach their full potential and to widen access to medicine for future generations.

“The students on this programme bring with them a rich diversity of backgrounds, experiences and skills – from prior careers to lived experience of the communities they will serve. This breadth of talent and perspective is vital in building a more inclusive, adaptable, and effective medical workforce for Scotland.”