One in five final-year University of Otago medical students will not graduate this year after faking documents for their overseas work placements. Final-year medical students who faked compulsory three-month hospital placements overseas for holidays are "heartbroken". Otago Medical School Dean Barry Taylor said rumours of the fake placements emerged at the Christchurch campus in June/July. READ MORE:* Placement scam justified because studying medicine is 'gruelling', student argues* Call to investigate former medical students after Otago work placement scam* Single eastern European country tied to med student work placement deception* University of Otago investigation finds med students faked work placement records* Trainee doctors pay $US200 for faked operating theatre photos in overseas scam* University knew of possible med student scam three months before investigation* University of Otago investigating claims med students faked work placement recordsSome of the information came from the offending students, who posted pictures of themselves on holiday, and "it became obvious they were certainly not where they were supposed to be". Supplied Medical students have been falsifying their placement documents to go on extensive holidays.

Source: Stuff November 17, 2019 23:11 UTC