(MENAFN- Gulf Times) A total of 46 fourth year medical students from Qatar University's College of Medicine (QUCMED) will begin a 14-week clinical rotation, also known as a clerkship, at Hamad Medical Corporation's (HMC) Al Khor and Al Wakra hospitals this week.
According to Dr Abdullatif al-Khal, deputy chief medical officer and director, Medical Education at HMC, and associate dean for clinical affairs at QU, 19 of these students are nationals.
He said the students represent the next generation of Qatar's medical professionals and the partnership between HMC and QU will ensure they have a solid educational foundation to help meet the future healthcare needs of the country's population.
The group is the inaugural general medicine class from Qatar University's medical college. Established in 2014 by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani in response to the growing need for medical doctors, QUCMED focuses on the development of a home-grown medical workforce for Qatar, rooted in the specific needs of the population and aligned with national strategies and priorities in healthcare education.
The medical students have spent the past three and a half years in the classroom and lab, learning the fundamentals of basic medical sciences and acquiring the clinical skills that underpin the art of medicine and the practice of patient care.
Their clinical rotations at HMC, which will continue throughout their fourth, fifth, and sixth years of study, will provide them with real-world practical experience in surgery, internal medicine, paediatrics, psychiatry and mental health, and other core specialties. 'Not only will clinical rotations enable medical students to safely apply the knowledge they have accumulated in the classroom to real-life medical situations, under the watchful guidance of experienced clinical supervisors, HMC will also provide the right learning environment to meet the requirements of the clinical curriculum for the students. Over the next 14 weeks, these medical students will shadow HMC consultants and medical residents and will have the opportunity to not only participate in the care for patients but also to help solve complex medical problems through valuable hands-on experience, said Dr al-Khal.
Prof Egon Toft, dean of the College of Medicine and vice president for Medical and Health Sciences at Qatar University, said there are currently 310 students enrolled in the College of Medicine's six-year MD programme, including 160 Qatar nationals.
'This is an exciting time for us and for these students. For QUCMED, today represents another important milestone in our journey toward witnessing the graduation of our first batch of Qatar University medical doctors in 2021. For these students, it represents the next phase in their medical training and the fruition of many years of hard work, said Prof Toft.
As part of their training, the students will complete clinical rotations at HMC, Sidra Medicine and Primary Health Care Corporation. During a ceremony held last week at HMC's Hajar Auditorium, all the 46 students were recognised for their important contribution to protecting and advancing the health and welfare of the country's population.
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