Covid-19 cross collaboration: beyond the normal student-staff liaison

by Aqua Asif

Graduate medical student, Leicester Medical School

I have been a course representative for six years and while the typical workload as a liaison between my peers and faculty has increased tenfold since the pandemic, it has served as a catalyst for personal growth as a leader.

At the beginning of March, as the conditions surrounding the pandemic worsened, we were summoned back to Leicester to form an emergency executive team, whose primary objective was to create and disseminate information about how the university was going to handle the pandemic and the impact on the cohorts.

The entire month that followed was a whirlwind of uncertainty, worry, and questions about the pandemic’s impact on medical students.

I trusted the judgment of senior staff to keep early information confidential, despite my desire to be open with my peers. The reason for initial secrecy was to ensure we accounted for all concerns of our diverse student population. The trust placed in me, along with my trust in our staff, worked to ensure the concerns of all affected parties were addressed.

I learnt the value of patience to reach a solution with accurate information obtained from all sources, rather than a hasty decision. Concerns ranged from questions about exam structure and grades, to international students dealing with the prospect of homelessness, financial hardship, and serious personal crises. I liaised with university staff, primarily the Head of Medical School, to address the safety and security of severely impacted students and witnessed the power of clear, direct communication to prevent harm and alleviate insecurity in the rapidly changing landscape of Covid-19.

As messages continued to pour in, I felt the Head of Medical School should hear directly from the international students. We collaborated with central university offices, specifically finance, accommodation, and international, to secure housing, adjust funds, and obtain proper visa advice for affected students. Moreover, intercalated students had additional concerns in aligning the timelines of their current research degrees and re-entry dates to medical school. I worked closely with the Head and other staff to reach out to GP centres and hospitals across the East Midlands area to develop a strategy for reintegration.

I felt empowered to have a hand in decision making at this level while trying to address the constant flow of concerns from peers, as we worked on a plan to move forward and felt closer to my cohort despite our physical distance, because of the transparent two-way communication we have fostered. We all had to learn to manage our personal reservations in the light of the concerns of others and that will serve us all well in our careers as doctors.

All clinical-year representatives, including myself, evaluated various resumption plans presented by university staff based on their impact on those most disadvantaged and raised concerns on behalf of international and intercalated students.

Initially, late August was discussed as a resumption date, but I strongly advocated for an earlier start to reduce stress on intercalated students. After weighing the benefits and risks to various start dates, we decided it was best to resume earlier and conclude in September, as this had the least negative impact on intercalators, while still providing ample isolation and travel time for local and international students, respectively.

It was a truly collaborative effort to deliver a solution that addressed the needs of all students.

Managing the disruptions of Covid-19 has been the most difficult leadership task I have undertaken to date. My skills as a leader were tested and sharpened as I collated hundreds of messages from students all over the world and advocated on their behalf in both isolation and reintegration efforts. I was proud to be awarded Academic Representative of the Year, but it would be unjust to not share the credit with my entire cohort and university staff.

I now understand the value of cross-team collaboration and clear and transparent communication. For any medical discipline to operate at its fullest capacity, the integration of effective leadership, teamwork, communication, and willingness to ask for help are essential.

The uncertainty caused by the pandemic has allowed me to contribute to the power of the medical community to adapt and overcome even the largest challenges.

I have become a more confident leader, and that confidence is rooted in the brilliant community I am privileged to be a part of and to have learnt from.