Orientation sets the scene

Enough to fill a small suitcase: Vijaytha
Rathnam (right) assists Sumeja
Zahirovic (left) to pack her books, while
class members queue to receive theirs
 

A fast-paced program of activities took the Class of 2011 over the threshold and into the medical profession during a three-day period, September 10-12.

Packed into the schedule of orientation events were introductions to the reality of life as a medical student, and some fun time organized by the Medical Student Executive Council-Qatar.

A notable highlight was the White Coat Ceremony, in which medical faculty formally welcomed WCMC-Q's fourth class of doctors-in-training to the profession as junior colleagues. (See related report: Ceremony is a rite of passage).

Finally, following a day-long course in life support skills run by Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), class members had only to collect their books from the Office of Curriculum Support: enough to fill a small suitcase.

Hearing the news
Taking a break from the busy schedule, one group revisited the moment they heard they had been accepted into the Medical Program.

During a stopover at London's Heathrow Airport, en route for a summer of research at the main campus of Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, the students took a few minutes to catch up with emails. The subject tag they all saw was: Congratulations.

"One after another we went to the computers to check our email," Sumeja Zahirovic recalled. "We all came back and started hugging each other. Those computers will always be special for me!"

The students caused quite a commotion as they celebrated their success, hugging and rejoicing, some even laughing through tears of relief. Only Vijaytha Rathnam resolved to hold out for a few more hours. "I was kind of nervous about checking my email, so I waited until Ithaca...I just kept my cool: I was okay waiting," she said.

Zuhair Salah ’10 welcomes Jowad Al Khafaji ’11 at
the start of medical orientation 2007

Success well earned
During the opening session of Orientation 2007, Dean of WCMC-Q, Dr. Daniel R. Alonso told the 30-strong class that, by meeting all the admissions requirements of Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City, they had joined "the chosen few."

He went on: "You have earned the right to be called doctors-in-training."

However, with this came an enormous amount of responsibility. For the sake of their patients, it was incumbent on them to strive for excellence, Dr. Alonso reminded them: "There is only one way you can do this, being a doctor: Do it well."

He also gave the class a glimpse of the future of health care and research in Qatar, including Qatar Foundation's planned Sidra Medical and Research Center - "the other half of the medical school" - set to open in the year the Class of 2011 graduates.

Essa Abuhelaiqa found this particularly exciting, for "the way the design of the building works, and how it focusses on women and children. And there will be not only clinical work, but also research, so we will be able to carry out research there."

Zahirovic recalled the moment she received
the news of her successful application to the
Medical Program, while en route for the U.S.

Getting down to business
As they moved through the orientation activities, class members began to get to grips with the four-year program. Ahead of them are two years of intensive basic science and introductory clinical courses, followed by the clinical phase, when work in the hospital setting will predominate.

Sleiman El Jamal, who joined the Medical Program from the American University of Beirut, said the WCMC-Q curriculum strongly influenced his decision to enroll.

"Other programs (in the region) are very traditional. There isn't much interaction with patients, especially in the first two years, and the education is lecture-based with few problem-based learning sessions.

"WCMC-Q's combination of learning technique and early patient interaction was one of the major factors that made me choose to come here."

In other sessions, the Class of 2011 heard about the role of HMC, a partner of WCMC-Q in delivering the clinical part of the program; health, safety and universal precautions; and the administrative side of academic affairs.

They engaged in a lively debate, led by Dr. Maya Hammoud, Associate Dean for Admissions and Student Affairs, and Donney Moroney, Student Academic Counselor, on the subject of professionalism, a matter for reflection and action from the moment the class entered medical school.

If the young doctors-in-training had felt nervous about the path ahead, they agreed that the orientation helped put the future in perspective.

"It has given us an idea of what we are to face over the next four years," said Noora Al Shahwani. "Now we understand it better, and can prepare ourselves psychologically."

By day two, Mohamed Warfa felt the initial, somewhat "heady," atmosphere was over, and it was back to normality. "It's business as usual!" he quipped.