DOHA, Qatar -- On May 4 Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (WCMC-Q) honored preceptors from the Hamad Medical Corp. (HMC) in recognition of their contributions to the clinical education of WCMC-Q's inaugural class of first-year medical students. The HMC physicians work in local health-care centers, and they also are members of the WCMC-Q faculty, helping introduce the students to the practice of medicine as part of the Medicine, Patients and Society I course. 

"Preceptors play a central part in the development of an understanding among our medical students of what it is to be a doctor and in their acquisition of clinical skills," said Daniel R. Alonso, dean of WCMC-Q. "Our curriculum introduces students to patient care in a gradual and comfortable way, starting in the first semester of medical school. The experience of going out to clinics to see how physicians work with patients is hugely motivational for the medical students."

Over the past 22 weeks, the students have been weekly observers at the clinics, gaining firsthand experience by conducting patient interviews and taking family histories. Working one-on-one with the students, the preceptors make a significant contribution to the development of the communication skills and professionalism of the young doctors-to-be.

Wendy Terry, assistant professor of medicine and the director of the course, commented: "What the students study in the basic sciences courses is complemented by MPS I, which introduces them to how the sciences are applied in clinical practice. The preceptors' clinics show how theory is distilled into practice. By observing how physicians interact with patients, and how the relationship between them works, the medical students really grasp the importance of their work in human terms."

"We are pleased to work with WCMC-Q in this vital aspect of the medical students' education," said Abdul Latif Al Khal, chairman of the department of medicine at HMC. "The preceptors are making a significant contribution to developing the skills of the next generation of physicians in Qatar."

WCMC-Q is part of Cornell University, the first American institution to offer its M.D. degree overseas.