DOHA: Shafallah Centre for Persons with Disabilities and University of Calgary in Qatar (UCQ) have partnered to improve community health.
An international clinical agreement was signed yesterday in a ceremony attended by officials from both institutions.
The partnership establishes fundamental ties between Shafallah, which cares for and educates children with intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorder, and UCQ, Qatar’s exclusive provider of nursing education.
With instruction from Shafallah specialists and UCQ professors, nursing students will launch developmental and clinical projects at Shafallah as part of their curriculum to help further cultivate the medical knowledge base to support Qatar.
Shafallah’s physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy professionals will serve as supervisors and mentors for students as part of the agreement and the centre will offer a learning environment in which UCQ students can gain experience.
Mohammed Al Sada, Managing Director, Shafallah, said, “Continuous improvement is at the core of the centre’s mission to provide the best care, services and educational resources for children with intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorder. By utilising UCQ nursing students’ expertise, Shafallah will be able to further improve young people’s lives.”
Dr Kim Critchley, Dean and CEO, UCQ, said: “The agreement allows for UCQ’s future nursing leaders to apply key nursing concepts to clinical practice while improving health in the local community.
“UCQ students will gain experience as they work with their professors and specialists at Shafallah to enhance the wellbeing of children with disabilities in Qatar.”
Behi Nikaiin, Clinical Placement Coordinator, UCQ, said: “UCQ students from the Bachelor of Nursing and Master of Nursing programmes will complete special practicums at Shafallah for academic credit.
“Working in groups, students will hone critical thinking and teamwork skills to create and implement health programmes in conjunction with the centre’s experts. These theories of health behaviour and health promotion will be applied in their work after graduation.”
The Peninsula
