Students from 11 high schools experienced on-campus life as medical students, and got a chance to explore the prospect of a career in medicine during Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar’s (WCM-Q) Qatar Medical Explorer Programme (QMEP).
QMEP is part of WCM-Q’s enrichment programmes and is offered by WCM-Q’s Office of Student Outreach & Educational Development. To join the programme, students who have demonstrated academic excellence, particularly in the sciences and mathematics, are nominated by their high school counsellor and teachers.
During the week-long programme, grade 10 and 11 students are exposed to various sessions that accurately reproduce the experiences of current WCM-Q students, with classes in biology, chemistry, anatomy, surgery, and research. The students also experience WCM-Q’s state-of-the-art Clinical Skills and Simulation Lab, as well as the opportunity to research a medical topic and present their findings to their peers and WCM-Q faculty as part of an oral presentation.
There are also sessions on study skills, time management, writing personal statements, interview techniques, applying to medical school, and careers in medicine, along with an introduction to WCM-Q’s Medical Student Executive Council — Qatar (MSEC-Q) and Student Debate Club, and the opportunity to meet current WCM-Q students.
Noha Saleh, director of premedical administration, student outreach and educational development, said: “Our programme offers a unique opportunity for high school students to experience life as a WCM-Q student while gaining a better understanding of what a career in science might mean. We look forward to continuing to offer interested students the opportunity to explore WCM-Q as their education partner and medicine as a career.”
Dr Rachid Bendriss, professor of English as a second language, assistant professor of education in medicine, and associate dean for foundation, student outreach and educational development programmes, said: “QMEP is designed to support high school students in making well-informed decisions about their future and determining whether medicine is part of that academic journey. This year’s cohort of participants impressed us with their intellectual curiosity and positive attitude to learning, and we hope that many of them will apply to join WCM-Q.”
