The article by Tekian and Boulet 1 provides much needed data about the United States Medical License Examination® performance of medical students educated in various Arab countries and reports on their success in achieving ECFMG certification. Although we welcome the focus on these students, we would like to correct two key assumptions related to the education of medical students in Qatar.
During the period of this study, 1998-2012, Weill Cornell Medicine–Qatar (WCM-Q) was the only Medical school in the State of Qatar. WCM-Q was established by Cornell University in partnership with Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development in 2001, admitted its first year class in 2002 and graduated its inaugural class in 2008. It offers an integrated program of pre-medical and medical studies leading to the identical Cornell M.D. degree to that conferred in the United States2.
In contrast to the authors’ assertion that the Medical School in Qatar “caters to US citizens”, the student population is multinational with only 10% or less of its total student population being US citizens since 2008 (the first year of full 6-year enrollment.) Currently, out of a total student population of 291, 5.1% are US citizens. The national makeup of the student body reflects the population of Qatar, and these students are keen to return to Qatar and to the region to contribute to the development of its health care sector. Additionally, the current data related to graduates from Qatar being counted as part of the US workforce is misleading as it is related to the high percentage of our students being engaged currently in residency and fellowship training in the United States. The authors report a 67.9% US workforce retention rate but fail to take into account that 68 of 72 of these individuals are in training rather than in independent practice, thus making the retention rate closer to 3.8%.
The principle purpose of establishing WCM-Q in Qatar was to bring the quality and culture of US-style graduate medical education to the Gulf States in order to develop the next generation of well trained, clinicians, educators and researchers and leaders in the biomedical sciences for Qatar and the region. We believe we are on-track to accomplish this important mission. Tekian and Boulet’s study captures a work in progress rather than a fait accompli and should be described as such.
Thurayya Arayssi, M.D.
Robert Crone, M.D.
Javaid Sheikh, M.D.
References
1. Tekian A, Boulet J. A longitudinal study of the characteristics and performances of medical students and graduates from the Arab countries. BMC medical education. 2015;15:1. doi: 10.1186/s12909-015-0482-3
2. Sheikh JI, Badr KF, Kamei RK, Arayssi T (2013). Three global adaptations of the American medical education model. Innovations in Global Medical and Health Education. 2013;1-3. doi: 10.5339/igmhe.2013.
Competing interests
Dr. Arayssi is the Associate Dean for Continuing Professional Development at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar
Dr. Crone is the Associate Dean for Clinical and Faculty Affairs at Weill Cornell Medicine- Qatar
Dr. Sheikh is Dean at the Weill Cornell Medicine- Qatar
Characteristics of Medical Students from Qatar
10 December 2015
To the Editor,
The article by Tekian and Boulet 1 provides much needed data about the United States Medical License Examination® performance of medical students educated in various Arab countries and reports on their success in achieving ECFMG certification. Although we welcome the focus on these students, we would like to correct two key assumptions related to the education of medical students in Qatar.
During the period of this study, 1998-2012, Weill Cornell Medicine–Qatar (WCM-Q) was the only Medical school in the State of Qatar. WCM-Q was established by Cornell University in partnership with Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development in 2001, admitted its first year class in 2002 and graduated its inaugural class in 2008. It offers an integrated program of pre-medical and medical studies leading to the identical Cornell M.D. degree to that conferred in the United States2.
In contrast to the authors’ assertion that the Medical School in Qatar “caters to US citizens”, the student population is multinational with only 10% or less of its total student population being US citizens since 2008 (the first year of full 6-year enrollment.) Currently, out of a total student population of 291, 5.1% are US citizens. The national makeup of the student body reflects the population of Qatar, and these students are keen to return to Qatar and to the region to contribute to the development of its health care sector. Additionally, the current data related to graduates from Qatar being counted as part of the US workforce is misleading as it is related to the high percentage of our students being engaged currently in residency and fellowship training in the United States. The authors report a 67.9% US workforce retention rate but fail to take into account that 68 of 72 of these individuals are in training rather than in independent practice, thus making the retention rate closer to 3.8%.
The principle purpose of establishing WCM-Q in Qatar was to bring the quality and culture of US-style graduate medical education to the Gulf States in order to develop the next generation of well trained, clinicians, educators and researchers and leaders in the biomedical sciences for Qatar and the region. We believe we are on-track to accomplish this important mission. Tekian and Boulet’s study captures a work in progress rather than a fait accompli and should be described as such.
Thurayya Arayssi, M.D.
Robert Crone, M.D.
Javaid Sheikh, M.D.
References
1. Tekian A, Boulet J. A longitudinal study of the characteristics and performances of medical students and graduates from the Arab countries. BMC medical education. 2015;15:1. doi: 10.1186/s12909-015-0482-3
2. Sheikh JI, Badr KF, Kamei RK, Arayssi T (2013). Three global adaptations of the American medical education model. Innovations in Global Medical and Health Education. 2013;1-3. doi: 10.5339/igmhe.2013.
Competing interests
Dr. Arayssi is the Associate Dean for Continuing Professional Development at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar
Dr. Crone is the Associate Dean for Clinical and Faculty Affairs at Weill Cornell Medicine- Qatar
Dr. Sheikh is Dean at the Weill Cornell Medicine- Qatar