New doctors-to-be don white coats

September, 2014

A new generation of trainee doctors has donned the symbolic white coat for the first time during a ceremony at WCMC-Q.

In total, 41 students are joining the college’s medical program – 11 of whom are Qatari. The students’ success at being accepted onto the program was marked by the White Coat Ceremony, which was held on September 4 in front of faculty, family and friends.

The aspiring physicians - the Class of 2018 - will now have four years of training in all aspects of medicine from faculty members based in Qatar and also from Weill Cornell Medical College in New York. If successful they will then receive a U.S-accredited medical degree.

Dr. Javaid Sheikh, dean of WCMC-Q, said the White Coat Ceremony is one of the highlights of the college’s year and is a memorable occasion in the students’ academic careers.

Dr. Sheikh said: "Donning the white coat for the first time has great significance for every young medical student. The white coat is symbolic of so many things - compassion, dedication and excellence - and by wearing it the students commit themselves to the ideals encompassed in a medical career."

The White Coat Ceremony marked the end of the college’s orientation program, during which the students met their classmates and faculty members, learned about the standards of professional conduct expected of them and received training on standard medical safety procedures.

The event was convened by Dr. Stephen Scott, associate dean of student affairs, with the keynote speech delivered by Dr. Ibrahim Ahmed Janahi, chairman of the Supreme Council of Health’s Permanent Licensing Committee, executive director of medical research at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), and program director for pediatric training programs at HMC.

The 41 members of the Class of 2018 are made up of 20 nationalities in total, and comprise 27 women and 14 men.

Fatima Al-Maadid is one of the students and has spent the last two years on WCMC-Q’s pre-medical program. She said one of the best aspects of studying at WCMC-Q was the sense of community.

Fatima said: "I think the thing I liked best about the pre-medical program was the fact that we were all so close and that our professors were really invested in the learning process and that we learned for the sake of knowledge rather than just to pass a test.

"I’m now looking forward to becoming more involved in the clinical aspects of medicine as opposed to just the sciences. I always thought medicine was interesting and being a doctor is an internationally recognized career. Also the fact that you can help people is what attracted me to medicine; that someone can be sitting there and in a vulnerable situation but trusts you to help them is wonderful."

Fellow student Khalid Al-Marri was accepted to the medical program after he completed both the one-year foundation program and the two-year pre-medical program at WCMC-Q.

He said: "I am very excited to be starting the medical program because it feels like I am making real progress towards my goal of becoming a doctor. When I started the foundation program, it seemed like it would take forever to complete the entire seven years of training, but now I am nearly halfway and I am feeling so positive about the next challenge.

"For me, becoming a doctor is about being of service to the community and making a difference to people’s lives. To be able to help someone regain their health is something I think will bring me great happiness."