Students from a number of high schools across Qatar explored the possibility of a career in medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine – Qatar (WCM-Q).
The 35 students – 26 girls and nine boys – all took part in the college’s Qatar Medical Explorer Program (QMEP), which was specifically designed to manage expectations about life as a medical student and give a glimpse into a career in medicine.
Through lectures, laboratory experiments and workshops, the students are able to have a clearer idea of whether medicine is the right career for them, and what they can expect if they are accepted into the six-year medical programme at WCM-Q.
The programme allowed them to join lectures by faculty members, spoke to students and take anatomy classes and other lessons that are part of the medical curriculum.
Noof Mubarak Al-Khalifa from Qatar Academy, was among the students who joined the programme. She said that they participated in the course to learn more about medicine and college life. She said that they achieved these goals. She described the stint as fantastic, fun and a fun week full of learning and activities.
We have benefited so much from the programme and gained lots of information about medicine and college life. I would like to thank WCM-Q for providing us with such a beneficial programme that will help us choose what we want to do in medicine.
Along with learning about life at WCM-Q, the students also gained skills they can use in other areas of their lives, whether they choose to pursue medicine or not.
In all, students from 10 schools took part in the QMEP – Michael E DeBakey High School, Omar Bin Khattab Secondary School for Boys, Al Jazeera Academy, Academic Bridge Program, Qatar Academy, Doha British School, Park House English School, Gulf English School, Al Khor International School and Al Arqam Academy for Girls.
Noha Saleh, Director of Outreach and Educational Development at WCM-Q, said that QMEP, alongside their other outreach programmes, is a valuable tool for students looking to their future careers. With so many choices available, Saled said that it is important that teenagers understand the subject options that are open to them, what colleges will expect of them and whether they will be happy and successful in their career option.
This cohort of QMEP participants has impressed everyone with their intellectual curiosity and their positive attitudes to learning and their future ambitions, and I hope that many of them will consider a career in medicine and apply to join WCM-Q.
For more information about the Qatar Medical Explorer Program at WCM-Q, visit their website at qatar-weill.cornell.edu.