national Log in education Kiwi doctors who took part in med student holiday scam should 'feel some remorse' most popular 1 Weather: Power out in parts of Auckland, heavy rain moves towards Coromandel 2 Stranger likely raped and murdered Kirsty Bentley, detective in charge of investigation says 3 Canadian heiress facing bankruptcy in New Zealand 4 Zane Wallace admits murdering partner Jasmine Wilson 5 120km-long mirror-clad skyscraper will house five million people in the Saudi desert 6 Living in a caravan with two kids in cloth nappies - it's for their future, says mum 7 Government warns of 'doomsday' foot and mouth scenario 8 Quiz: Afternoon trivia challenge: July 25, 2022 9 Former Kiwis forward Kevin Proctor sacked for halftime vaping video in Titans loss to Bulldogs 10 Quiz: Morning trivia challenge: July 25, 2022 Lee Kenny · 05:00, Jun 12 2021 SUPPLIED The University of Otago withheld graduation for 51 medical students who were found to have not completed their final year hospital internships. A whistle-blower was right to reveal some University of Otago medical students had faked their reports to go on holiday, the university's acting vice-chancellor says. LEE KENNY reports. Being a whistle-blower is never easy. Trembling with nerves they alleged a small number of trainee doctors at University of Otago had misled their tutors and falsified internship documents so they could go on long overseas holidays. The rort had gone on for years, with some interns choosing certain medical centres in Belize, Bosnia and Italy where paperwork could be signed-off without having to complete work placements. “This group lied to the medical school about it in interviews, faked elective reports and covered for each other with more lies,” the whistle-blower claimed. READ MORE: * 'Broad and detailed' investigation into Otago medical students scam still not started, a year after being announced * Overseas electives could be cut following Otago student rort * Placement scam medical students 'let off with a slap on the wrist' * Auckland medical students to face scrutiny after Otago students faked placements * Medical student overseas placement holiday rort 'widespread' - GP This was in October 2019 and, following inquiries by Stuff, a spokeswoman said the university was “taking these concerns seriously”. A report this week said the number of Otago medical students “at one particular site” shot up from two in 2016 to 37 in 2019. Far from being an in-house matter, the students each received a $26,756 government stipend to fund their final year of study, including travel for work placements. If the allegations were true, the students likely used public money to fund their holidays. Not trying to make things awkward, but… Following a formal investigation, the university wrote to 15 Christchurch-based trainee You're probably thinking, 'this is another call from me for money'. interns, who were found to have submitted misleading reports aboutStuff theirasking overseas And you're totally right. But hear us out. The stories you read here cost time and elective placements. resources to make. So we’re asking those who read them to contribute financially. What do you reckon, NZ? I’d like to contribute Not right now I’ve already supported. national Log in education MEDIAWORKS Otago Medical School Dean Barry Taylor speaks to media about trainee interns who submitted false work placements. At the time, Education Minister Chris Hipkins told RNZ the students had “abused trust” and “acted in a way that's dishonest”. In the end, 51 students admitted or were found to have committed the same misconduct. The students were required to complete additional work and were not allowed to graduate with the rest of their class. About this time, Stuff was contacted by former medical students, many now practising doctors and consultants, who said the scam also happened in earlier years. One claimed it had been going on for decades. An angry parent said the 2019 cohort were being scapegoated, while Steve Elers, a senior lecturer at Massey University, said the scam should become a police matter given public money was involved. National MP Shane Reti – who is a practising doctor – was among those who backed calls for a full inqury. Education Minister Chris Hipkins says students “abused trust”. ROBERT KITCHIN/STUFF Education Minister Chris Hipkins says students “abused trust”. An investigation was launched and Otago Medical School graduates from 2015 to 2019 were invited to get in contact. “It seems highly likely that less than 11 weeks of attendance in clinical placements was indeed happening prior to 2019,” the report released on Wednesday concluded. The students “fell into two broad types”. There were those who “took more time off than was permitted” and minimised or misrepresented that in their reports. Then were students “premeditated planned” their trip with the “intent of Notwho trying to makeand things awkward, but… insufficient elective attendance and of misrepresenting this in their reports”. You're probably thinking, 'this is another call from Stuff asking me for money'. The 11-week placement represents almost a quarter theThe sixth and final theircost time and And you're totally right. But hear usofout. stories youyear readofhere degree, providing real worldtoexperience of working hospitals clinics. resources make. So we’re askinginthose whoand readmedical them to contribute What docompared you reckon, However, it was financially. seen as an “outlier” to NZ? other modules and not managed with the same “rigorous manner”, the report noted. I’d like to contribute Not right now I’ve already supported. national Log in Students arranged their own placements, but there were few checks to confirm that they actually attended the hospital they selected. education The University of Otago held an internal inquiry before commissioning an independent investigation. SHARRON BENNETT/STUFF The University of Otago held an internal inquiry before commissioning an independent investigation. The report panel received “consistent accounts” from people who heard of unnamed students who had not attended 11 weeks of an elective module. Student numbers at “one particular site” rose by 35 in three years, suggesting it was a “rapidly increasing destination of choice”. The university collated destination date for insurance purposes, but did not analyse it. “Had this analysis been done routinely, it is possible questions would have been raised about why the location in question was proving so popular in 2018 or even 2017.” There were also no electronic systems in place to identify the exact dates and locations of each student’s placements, who their overseas supervisor was or even the person’s contact details. The exact circumstances of how so many students were able to game the system have never emerged but what is known is that many attended placements in the same Eastern European country. The university will not disclose which country it was, but it is likely it was Bosnia and Herzegovina. Number of University of Otago medical student elective internships in each country during 2019 Some students spent placements in multiple countries or in multiple places in each country. If a student did a placement in two countries, they are counted for both countries. Map: Steven Walton • Source: University of Otago Figures obtained under Official Information Act show a significant increase in Otago student placements the Balkan state: from 10 in 2017 to 40 in 2018. Notintrying to make things awkward, but… According to university records, thinking, 18 medical'this students werecall in Bosnia and Herzegovina You're probably is another from Stuff asking me forinmoney'. August 2019. And you're totally right. But hear us out. The stories you read here cost time and resources to make.ofSo we’re asking who read them to contribute The Faculty of Medicine University Sarajevo boaststhose modern facilities and has trained financially. What do you reckon, NZ? doctors for 70 years. Taida Nakić at Faculty of Medicine University of Sarajevo told Stuff they were “very sorry I’d like to contribute Not right now I’ve already supported. y y j y y y to hear that medical students faked their elective placement reports”. national “We know that [a] certain number of students just drop out. Either they contact us and inform that they changed the elective, or they just do not come to Sarajevo.” education Log in Thirty-one Otago medical students travelled to Italy in 2019. Twelve went to Belize. The historic city of Mostar, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, traditionally attracts tourists from around the world. MARCO SECCHI/GETTY IMAGES The historic city of Mostar, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, traditionally attracts tourists from around the world. The figures correspond with the allegations made to Stuff in 2019. In international circles Belize was known to be a place where medical students could go to have their documents falsified. One local fixer said trainee doctors could have their documents faked for about $300 before being taken on a tour of the hospital for photos in gowns and scrubs. No evidence has emerged that Otago students paid money to have paperwork signedoff. The panel found, “no grounds for believing any staff of the Medical School encouraged unethical behaviour”, but the “systems in place were ill‐equipped to deal with such behaviour”. It also heard evidence from one Otago Medical School staff member who said a graduate from several years before 2019 “confessed they had not attended any part of the elective” and that they had heard other students had done similar things. The staff member took this information to senior leadership at the time, but no action was taken. Although the panel did not identify specific cases of insufficient elective attendance before 2019, the University of Otago has repaid the Tertiary Education Commission $156,178, which is a proportion of the Trainee Intern grant it received and disbursed to students in previous years. Not trying to make things awkward, but… You're probably thinking, 'this is another call from Stuff asking me for money'. And you're totally right. But hear us out. The stories you read here cost time and University of Otago acting vice-chancellor professor Helen Nicholson says the whistle-blower was resources to make. So we’re asking those who read them to contribute right to speak out about the medical student placements. financially. What do you reckon, NZ? SUPPLIED University of Otago acting vice-chancellor professor Helen Nicholson says the whistle-blower was I’d like to contribute Not right now I’ve already supported. right to speak out about the medical student placements. national Log in This sum relates to non-completed student electives in 2016, 2017 and 2018. education– who was not in University of Otago acting vice-chancellor professor Helen Nicholson the role when the matter arose – says it is not acceptable behaviour, but there is no recourse to address historic issues once people have graduated. “I think it is possibly likely that some students didn’t undertake all of their electives but the issue we have is that they are no longer students,” she said. “Many of them are practising as doctors and as far as we know the Medical Council are happy with them.” Nicholson, who graduated as a medical doctor in the UK in 1979, says she hopes those doctors “feel some remorse for what they have done”. “As someone who is medically trained, it concerns me.” MORE FROM LEE KENNY • EDUCATION REPORTER lee.kenny@stuff.co.nz The panel made 10 recommendations and Otago says changes are in place to prevent future similar misconduct. A trainee intern elective coordinator has been appointed and software has been introduced for “more rigorous and standardised electronic management of student placements”. Sites will be vetted and students have to sign a declaration as part of their elective reports. Ongoing discussions include shortening the module to six weeks and reducing the options for students to go beyond New Zealand’s shores. “For the majority of students, they have observed that ‘high-trust model’ but what the events of 2019 have shown is perhaps we didn't have enough rigour,” Nicholson says. After the issue made national headlines, the whistle-blower went to ground and would not respond to texts or calls. Nicholson says it was right that they came forward. “That is behaving professionally. If you have concerns about your colleagues then you should raise them.” 400 journalists work for you at Stuff We're 100% locally owned, and our team is of the people, for the people. 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I’d like to contribute Not right now I’ve already supported. © 2022 Stuff Limited national Log in education Not trying to make things awkward, but… You're probably thinking, 'this is another call from Stuff asking me for money'. And you're totally right. But hear us out. The stories you read here cost time and resources to make. So we’re asking those who read them to contribute financially. What do you reckon, NZ? I’d like to contribute Not right now I’ve already supported.