By 2nd-year Auckland University Med Student | April 30 2020

As a second-year student, I was just settling into the medical programme when Covid-19 flipped my routine on its head. Instead of studying at the university campus or attending lectures, I have been watching pre-recorded videos from home. This has been a very different learning environment with the added distraction of the fridge and my younger siblings! Tests have been moved online or rescheduled to later in the year and tutorials are now over Zoom or cancelled. At this stage my cohort will not be returning to university until late July.

One of the biggest impacts on me has been the loss of hands-on learning activities. Under the current circumstances, GP visits, human anatomy laboratories and the Human Early Life Development Project have been cancelled. For students like myself who are practical learners, only watching and listening to lectures can be particularly challenging. Please pray that the appropriate resources can be collated for students to have positive learning outcomes.

Through this period, one of my highlights has been attending a weekly CMFnz Zoom meeting. It has given me the opportunity to connect with other Christian medical students including those in clinical placements who are scattered across the North Island. Making these friends has been a blessing. I know they will support and encourage me in my own medical school journey.

As doctors of New Zealand please pray for productivity in students through this period. Pray for balance; that students are able to work hard but also fit in some social and physical activities too. Pray for those students feeling lonely and that they would have the courage and means to reach out to someone. Finally, pray that through this period students will draw closer to God as they explore the human body, one of God's most marvellous creations.