High school students experience life at WCMC-Q

February, 2014

High schools students have been learning what life would be like as a medical student and doctor in the latest WCMC-Q Winter Qatar Medical Explorer Program.

Twenty nine students, aged between 15 and 18, spent two weeks in the college as part of the program, which is aimed at raising their awareness and interest in a career in medicine.

Program participants spent their time in the college’s laboratories, at lectures given by WCMC-Q faculty members, and talking to current medical students.

Noha Saleh, director of student recruitment and outreach at WCMC-Q, said the Winter Qatar Medical Explorer Program is a valuable program, both for potential students and WCMC-Q itself.

She said: “The program allows students who are beginning to consider different careers to get a taste of what life at WCMC-Q would be like. They learn about the expectations the college has but also the opportunities that it offers for gaining a world-class education. Interacting with current undergraduates, graduates and faculty members also helps the potential students learn more about what a career in medicine would actually entail, rather than what they may imagine it would be like.

“From the college’s point of view, the program allows us to raise the profile of WCMC-Q and reach out to high-performing students who have the capability but may never have seriously considered a career in medicine.”

The students came from a variety of schools across Doha - Omar Bin Khattab Secondary School for Boys, Al Bayan Secondary School for Girls, Al Wakra Independent Secondary School for Girls, Al Iman Secondary School for Girls, DeBakey High School for Health Professionals, Al Maha Academy, Al-Arqam Academy, and Qatar Academy - and were selected based on criteria set down by the college. These included being academically competitive, along with an interest in science. While at WCMC-Q, the students spent time in the laboratories experiencing parts of the pre-medical curriculum, and prepared a group presentation on a health-related topic. They were also given careers advice, interview techniques, medical lectures from faculty, and enjoyed a field trip to investigate robotic surgery at Qatar Science and Technology Park.

Raghad Burjaq, 16, who attends DeBakey High School for Health Professionals at Qatar, said the program had been of huge benefit.

She said: “People always say that studying medicine is very difficult and that as a student you will be under a lot of pressure, so I found it really useful to come here and see what it is like in reality. The experience has made me more certain that I want to study medicine. Some people contribute to society by being architects or engineers, but I want to contribute by making people feel better and healthier through medicine.”

Naima Al-Abaidly, 16, also of DeBakey High School for Health Professionals at Qatar, added: “Coming here has been extremely encouraging. I have wanted to be a doctor since I was a little child and coming here has convinced me even further. I find medicine fascinating and I really want to become a student here.”

Finally, 15-year-old Hassan Iyad, from Omar Bin Khattab School, said he was hoping to follow in his father’s footsteps.

“I’m interested in medicine because I like to help people, to make them healthy and happy,” he said. “My father is a doctor and he inspired me to learn about the world of medicine.

“I’m really happy with what I’ve seen while I’ve been here and I’m certain now that I would love to be a doctor in the future. The experiments we have done, especially in the biology laboratory, have been the most rewarding part of the experience for me.”

The program concluded on February 6 with an awards ceremony.