Would-be doctors don white coat at WCMC-Q ceremony
THE Class of 2012 at Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, comprising 27 students including seven females, was inducted at the annual White Coat Ceremony yesterday. The event marked the traditional rite of passage where the fresh doctors-in-training first don the white coat and receive stethoscopes, the symbolic emblems of their new roles.
The ceremony also had a salient feature with a graduate from WCMC-Q,
The members of the Class of 2012 with Drs Alonso and Hammoud
Dr Jehan al-Rayahi (Class of 2008, the inaugural batch), addressing the latest entrants to the four-year medical programme as the keynote speaker for the first time.
In a moving speech sprinkled with anecdotes from her medical education, the young Qatari doctor currently pursuing her goal to become an academic and a radiologist at Hamad Medical Corporation, gave a number of tips to her juniors.
Displaying a commendable sense of humour, al-Rayahi, who was introduced by WCMC-Q dean Dr Daniel R Alonso, told the Class of 2012 that the medical programme would enhance all their senses except that of the sense of humour.
“Your task as future physicians starts today,” she reminded the new batch while urging them to cherish each and every one of their moments at WCMC-Q and be good physicians.
Earlier, the proceedings attended by an audience of faculty, including those from HMC, staff, family, friends and guests, were opened by senior associate dean for education, Dr Maya Hammoud.
She told the new medical students that the ceremony was intended to “impress upon you the importance of dedicating yourself to upholding the principles of this profession from the first day of your training.”
Dr Alonso, in his introduction about the Class of 2012, explained that the average age was 20 years and Grade Point Average 3.95.
“While most of the new students are from Egypt and India, the others are from the US, Qatar, Lebanon, and Pakistan,” he observed while stating that those at WCMC-Q have pride in bringing in a better class to the medical programme each year.
The dean also told the new doctors-in-training that “as you don your white coats, you acknowledge the responsibilities and obligations of our profession and commit yourselves to both scientific excellence and compassionate patient care.”
The highlight of the evening was the “cloaking” process, with Dr Alonso helping each student in turn to put on their coats for the first time, officially marking their entry into the WCMC-Q medical community.
The students were presented stethoscopes by faculty members Drs Abdullatif al-Khal, Powers Peterson and Mohamud Verjee. The dean subsequently read out the Hippocratic Oath, further reinforcing the expectations of the medical profession.
Given that the ceremony took place during the holy month of Ramadan, it was followed by an Iftar dinner where the students and their families shared the traditional breaking of the daily fast with WCMC-Q officials.
Over today and tomorrow, the Class of 2012 are to participate in a number of introductory and social activities to help them get to know each other and the WCMC-Q community.
The following are the members of the new medical batch: Maria Ahmed, Salman al-Jerdi, Jowhara al-Qahtani, Awab Ali Ibrahim, Mohamed al-Kazaz, Mohamed al-Nufal, Ali al-Saadoon, Venkata Srihari Buddhvarapu, Sara Buhmaid, Rama El Yafawi, Amr Elharaki, Khaled Elkady Hussein, Dhritiman Gurkha, Petro Kostandy, Babar Ali Mirza, Mujtaba Mohamed, Shady Nakhla, Utsav Nandi, Sarah Salameh, Mohamed Ameer Shah, Hiba Sheikh, Farah Siam, Wassem Skef, Pankit Vachhani, Bassem Zaki Abdelmalak, Farhan Zakri, Mouayyad Zaza.
WCMC-Q currently has a total of 242 students on its rolls, including 17 from the Class of 2009, 26 (2010), 32 (2011), 27 (2012), 59 (2013), 61 (2014) and 20 (Foundation Year).
GT
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