The University of Calgary in Qatar (UCQ) and Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) recently co-sponsored a Continuous Professional Development (CPD) training program entitled Interprofessional Immunization Training.
Over 70 nurses, physicians, and pharmacists from across PHCC centres in Qatar met on the UCQ campus to strengthen their own capacity to effectively deliver Qatar’s vaccination program.
Guest presenters included Dr. Deborah White, Dean, UCQ; Dr. Khalid El-Awad, Public Health Expert, Primary Health Care Corporation; Dr. Jessie Johnson, Assistant Professor, UCQ; Dr. Amal Khidir, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine - Qatar, and Dr. Zachariah Nazar, Assistant Professor, College of Pharmacy, Qatar University.
“Building vaccine and immunization competencies for health care providers in Qatar is a significant and necessary goal,” explained Dr. Deborah White, Dean, University of Calgary in Qatar. “It’s a public health responsibility to ensure that health care providers are trained how to give vaccines and that they provide appropriate and timely information to the public. UCQ is very excited to be engaged in this event and to make such an important contribution to the community.”
Launched at the invitation of PHCC, the event is part of an ongoing series of CPD opportunities organized by UCQ in order to enhance the interprofessional collaboration of health care practitioners in the State of Qatar. Along with PHCC, UCQ proudly partnered with Weill Cornell Medicine – Qatar, Qatar University’s College of Pharmacy, and the Qatar Council for Healthcare Practitioners.
Topics discussed included: patient and family centered care and shared decision-making planning in the delivery of Qatar’s vaccination program, fundamentals of immunity and vaccination, best practices in vaccination management, strategies to overcome obstacles that reduce vaccination uptake. Upcoming events in this series will also include practical workshops and clinical simulations to be led by UCQ faculty members.
“This vaccination training course comes as a second collaboration between PHCC, UCQ, Qatar University, and Weill Cornell Medicine – Qatar,” according to Dr. Khalid El-Awad from PHCC. “These organizations are working closely to enhance ties and advance evidence-based research and collaboration between service provider and educational institutions to improve patient care and outcome. Interprofessional education methods have been adopted in this training course to ensure data sharing and efficient communication between nurses, pharmacists and physicians.
It requires all care team members to engage with the patient and with each other. It also helps our organization to improve staff communication, improve staff relationships and job satisfaction and, in the end, improve patient safety.”
Established in 2007, the University of Calgary in Qatar is the only Canadian university in Qatar and the country’s exclusive provider of Bachelor and Master degrees in Nursing. Accredited in Canada and adapted to the local culture, the University’s curriculum provides its nursing students with the knowledge and expertise to become fully-integrated leaders in Qatar’s healthcare sector.
Applications to UCQ’s programs are open to Qatari nationals and residents of Qatar through April 1, 2020. More information about nursing programs, the admission processes, and criteria, is available at www.ucalgary.edu.qa