Over 500 students from the School of Medicine have come forward to offer support with the vaccination programme and other COVID efforts across NHS partner sites. For many, it’s a chance to give back to the community and start 2021 off on a welcome positive note.
Student doctor Maddie Boyers sees being a part of the COVID vaccination programme her way of giving back to the community and the city she has called home for the past five years.
Maddie moved to Liverpool from Lincolnshire in 2015 and is now in her fifth and final year of the MBChB programme, after intercalating in Public Health at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine last year.
“The vaccine really is the light at the end of the tunnel. I love seeing how a vaccine programme is rolled out and I'm so pleased we can be useful in the process!
Maddie has been working at the Lee Jones Centre in Vauxhall along with a group of Liverpool student doctors from Years 3 to 5.
Student doctors Olivia Farrow and Mohammed Ali, also supporting the vaccination programme [Photo courtesy of LMSS]
"The centre is so well supported and there’s a great group of us there. We all get along really well and it makes the day fly by!
“Working as a vaccinator is really enjoyable. It's really fast paced and non-stop at the moment with so many appointments. People are so grateful to be getting the vaccine.”
It's really emotional sometimes. Patients have been isolating for nearly a year now and we're the first people they've seen in months.
"When they tell us how relieved they are to be able to get the vaccine, I feel proud to be able to help! A lot of patients have lost family members so this is a really big moment for them, and we feel lucky to be part of it.
“Scousers make the job 100 times better for us. We are always laughing with them and love hearing about what they're up to. Lots are dying to get back to the pub, watch the game, but most just want to be able to see their family again soon.
The funniest response to "Have you got any serious allergies to anything?" was "Only to Everton". His LFC face covering should have given it away!
Reflecting on being a student doctor during the pandemic, Maddie is grateful.
“We are really lucky, in many ways. We have a lot of people looking out for us. We have had great training and are going into a profession where we can truly make a difference to people's lives.”
Student doctors supporting vaccine rollout
Student doctors from Years 3 to 5 currently have the option of taking on additional hours outside of their normal NHS training hours. The School and our NHS partners are working together to ensure they can do so safely and efficiently. If you are a student taking part and would like to share your story, please get in touch! mednews@liverpool.ac.uk.