Weill Cornell Medicine – Qatar (WCM-Q)’s new cohort of first-year medical students donned the traditional white coats and stethoscopes of their chosen profession for the first time in a ceremony.
This year’s intake of medical students numbers 54, including 17 Qataris.
The White Coat Ceremony marked the culmination of a three-day orientation programme, during which the students met with faculty and peers, learned about the four-year medical curriculum, and were fitted for their scrubs.
The White Coat Ceremony is a traditional rite of passage for students as they make the transition from pre-medical studies to the medical curriculum.
The event featured a speech by WCM-Q Class of 2014 alumnus Dr Abdulwahed Zainel, an attending physician in paediatric infectious diseases at Sidra Medicine.
Stethoscopes were presented by associate professor of paediatrics Dr Amal Khidir, assistant dean for foundational sciences Dr Ali Sultan, and Dr Shireen Suliman, the director of medical education at Hamad Medical Corporation.
The white coats were presented by WCM-Q dean Dr Javaid Sheikh, who also led the recitation of the Hippocratic Oath.
The WCM-Q also welcomed 55 new students to its pre-medical curriculum, of whom 20 are Qataris.
The WCM-Q also inducted 19 high school graduates to its one-year Foundation Programme.
Of these, 17 are Qataris.
The pre-medical and foundation students had a separate orientation programme, including a tour of the campus followed by sessions on time management, academic expectations and integrity, student health and wellness, plus a reading project and opportunities to get to know the faculty and fellow students.
Combined, the two-year pre-medical curriculum and four-year medical curriculum form the WCM-Q’s integrated Six-Year Medical Programme, successful completion of which leads to the Cornell University MD degree.
The new students with WCM-Q officials.
