College staff recruited to aid medics in the fight against virus
IRISH universities and colleges are being recruited by the Government to help in the desperate battle against Covid-19.
Experienced medical staff and laboratory technicians are now at a premium as Ireland’s healthcare system battles to contain the spread of the virus and prevent acute hospitals from being swamped by thousands of new cases.
All Irish universities, colleges and institutes – which have effectively shut down because of the Covid-19 situation – are being asked to make available any experienced teaching personnel that can help in the battle against the virus.
Specifically, the Government and the Health Service Executive (HSE) are hoping experienced healthcare staff and laboratory technicians will make their services available on a short-term basis while third-level institutions are closed or devoted to online studies.
Many personnel worked for years in the healthcare and science testing industries before moving into teaching roles in third level.
One college, Cork Institute of Technology (CIT), said it would support any of its staff who wanted to volunteer to help in the battle against Covid-19.
“CIT has had requests for suitably qualified laboratory and other health staff,” a spokesperson confirmed.
“We are advising staff that they may volunteer for such duty and that we will support them in terms of pay, human resources etc.”
Other Irish colleges and universities have followed suit.
Experienced healthcare staff are being sought as part of the drive to ease the workload on frontline doctors and nurses.
The Government hopes such personnel in medical teaching facilities will be available over the next two to three months when the virus epidemic is expected to peak.
It is hoped many could assume second-line duties so that acute hospital staff can focus on Covid-19 patients.
However, the Government is also rushing student nurses and doctors into the system to ease the pressure on existing personnel.
Third-year nursing students will have their placements this year used to ease the burden on frontline nurses by them assuming second-line duties.
Graduate doctors, who traditionally do not begin their internship until July and August, have been informed they will be assigned to hospitals from late May such is the looming crisis within the healthcare sector.
Junior doctors are also assuming roles that, traditionally, would have been undertaken by registrars and consultants in a bid to ease the workload on senior staff.
Further, doctor rotations may be suspended to ensure the maximum number of experienced personnel are available to acute hospitals dealing with Covid-19 cases.
The Government is also desperate to have sufficient experienced laboratory technicians to ramp up Ireland’s testing regime against the virus.
Health experts stressed that strict social isolation allied with rigorous testing and contact-tracing is the key to defeating the virus and controlling its spread to a level the health system can cope with.
‘We are advising staff they may volunteer for such duty’