A taste of life at WCMC-Q for high school students

The students from high schools across Qatar were given a taste of what life as a doctor is like.

Students from high schools across Qatar sampled university life for two weeks during the Qatar Medical Explorer Winter Program.

Taking advantage of the winter holidays enjoyed by Qatari high schools, 26 male and female students from grades 10, 11 and 12 joined the program run by Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (WCMC-Q) from Sunday 10 February until Thursday 21 February.

Students were welcomed and introduced to the courses on offer at WCMC-Q in a session given by Noha Saleh, director of student recruitment. They then spent the first week taking lectures and laboratory sessions in chemistry, physics and biology, learning presentation skills and discovering the history of medicine in a lecture given by Dr. Hekmat Al Rouh, project coordinator in the Global Public Health division. A highlight of first week was a visit to the Clinical Skills Center on Thursday, when students had the chance to examine standardized patients and work with the center’s learning aids, including Harvey, the university’s hi-tech robotic dummy.

In the second week, the program was held at the Hamad Bin Khalifa University Student Center and saw students learn study skills, tips for passing tests and how to write effective personal statements. Dr. Pablo del Pozo, associate professor of public health, led a study session on medical ethics, while Dr. Amal Khidir, assistant professor of pediatrics, spoke about adolescent health. Dr. Chris Triggle, professor of pharmacology and assistant dean for admissions, presented an introduction to pharmacology.

During week one, students were divided into groups, assigned topics to research and tasked with presenting their findings to their peers on the final day of the program. Topics focused on some of the most pressing contemporary public health issues such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, cancer, and road traffic accidents and trauma.

To demonstrate the holistic approach to learning at the university, Dr. Rodney Sharkey, visiting assistant English professor, ran three workshops on poetry, understanding narratives and dramatic techniques. Paul Mussleman, information services librarian, introduced the students to the Distributed e-Library.

Throughout the two-week program, students received guidance about how to make their applications to WCMC-Q as strong as possible. The purpose of the program is to give high school students a taste of life at WCMC-Q, allowing them to make an informed choice about whether they are well suited to a career in medicine, as well as helping them through the admissions process, explained Syed Hasnain, student recruitment programs manager.

“It is important to give the students a really accurate impression of what it is like to study at WCMC-Q,” he said. “That way, they can clearly see whether this career path is right for them. The program gives them the opportunity to test their skills, work out if they can follow the material presented in the lectures and lab sessions, and decide if they have the passion for medicine that will sustain them through several years of study.

“We also give them plenty of guidance on how to get their application to the university in good order.”

Grade 11 student Abdulrahman Janahi, aged 16, was visiting from Omar Bin Khattab School for Boys.

He said: “I would love to become a doctor and I hope to be able to study at WCMC-Q.

“Coming to the university is very inspiring because of the professional attitude of the faculty here - they make you feel like you can learn a lot from them. As students, we know that it is hard to get into WCMC-Q because the standards are very high, so it is useful to visit and see if we are able to follow the material.”

At a closing ceremony on Thursday 21 February, Noha Saleh and Dr. Triggle presented participating students with certificates for completing the program.

Participating Schools:

Al Bayan Educational Complex for Girls
Al Doha Independent School for Boys
Al Maha Academy
Al Wakra Independent Secondary School for Boys
Omar Bin Khattab School for Boys
Qatar Academy
Qatar International School
Qatar International School of Choueifat
Rabiaa Aladawyea Secondary School for Girls