Doha: As part of a student exchange agreement between Qatar University (QU) and Xavier University (XU), USA, QU pharmacy students were able to take part in a rewarding international internship abroad. They experienced different academic, administrative, research work, and site visits during their rotation at XU.
Two Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) students from QU’s College of Pharmacy (CPH) were selected to complete their pharmacy practice experiences and a clinical rotation at XU in New Orleans, Louisiana. The two students, Mariam Mustafa and Reem Hajeomar were precepted by Dr. Sara Al Dahir, Clinical Associate Professor/Fulbright Scholar-Division of Clinical and Administrative Sciences, College of Pharmacy, XU.
Reem and Mariam were given the opportunity to work on, prepare and present lectures on different topics along with practice exam questions and cases. In addition, they were involved in administrative work and helped interview prospective students for an international rotation in Qatar, alongside Dr. Sara Al Dahir and another faculty member at XU. They also got involved in research projects and helped by giving questionnaires, creating posters, videos and reviewing a grant proposal.
The students visited the local community pharmacies to experience the difference between the United States and Qatar, and visited a liver and renal transplant unit where they shadowed clinical pharmacists in inpatient and outpatient settings. Rich discussions also took place with Dr. Al Dahir on different graduate study opportunities in the US including masters and fellowships.
Hajeomar said, “This rotation was a rich experience that did not only give me exposure to a new health system and medical practice but also a new culture. It was very interesting to compare between pharmacy practice in Qatar and the United States. I hope to use what I learnt from this rotation in the near future and apply it in my everyday practice to help further develop the evolving role of pharmacists in Qatar. I am very grateful for Qatar University and Xavier University for providing me with this opportunity.”
On the other hand, Mustafa added, “This rotation was an exciting opportunity and a rich learning experience. I had the chance to discover the health care and academic system in the United States. It was most interesting to interact with students and compare pharmacy practice in the United States and Qatar. I am thankful to Qatar University and Xavier University for giving me this opportunity.”
Dr. Al Dahir commented, “We were very excited to restart our PharmD exchange programme between our two universities, now entering the 12th year of the exchange. Though the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted our usual schedule, it created several opportunities for the Qatar students at Xavier. The students successfully participated in COVID-19 vaccine research that focused on developing patient material to be used at the point of patient care. In addition, the students continued clinical observations with our partner medical centre, Ochsner, as well as teaching throughout the curriculum.”
CPH Dean Dr. Feras Alali said: “We at CPH are keen to provide our students with insightful international clinical and experiential training and experience. I am proud that our PharmD students left great impressions at their host institution. I am also thankful to XU leadership for their continued support to our programme.”
