By Tom McRae

The University of Auckland medical school still can't rule out a man posing as a student didn't have direct contact with patients.

An investigation is underway and the man has been issued with a trespass notice after he went to great lengths to pose as a medical student for two years.

Watched closely by security, students today filed into their 8am lecture. Many are shocked at the deception by someone they thought was a fellow student.

[Theyre] not surprisingly very upset and hurt, and [there is] some degree of anger, says Medical and Health Sciences dean Professor John Fraser.

The imposter studied biomedical science in 2010 but failed to get into medical school. So for two years he faked it, continuing to attend classes.

He doesn't give a good explanation, says head of the universitys medical programme Dr Warwick Bagg. What we need to understand with this individual is he's in great distress. His family is in great distress and we're quite concerned for his wellbeing.

The man took part in dissecting dead bodies, and as a third-year student he was eligible to attend hospital site visits and interact with patients one-on-one.

Our investigations to date show that he has not had interaction with patients on the wards, says Dr Bagg.

But a student who wanted to remain anonymous says he did have access to confidential patient information while at the hospital. The class is also concerned he was able to carry out medical procedures on other students.

Read more here:
Trespass notice issued to fake medical student