For those people who wonder why the blog has had less frequent postings of late....... here is the answer!
In January Lisa started working at the University of Calgary -- Qatar (UCQ) School of Nursing. This has been a time of adjustment for our whole family.
The Nursing program at UCQ began here in Doha in 2007. There are two nursing degree programs offered. One is the Post-Diploma Bachelor of Nursing program for people who already hold a diploma in nursing. This is a highly motivated group of individuals! There is also a Bachelor of Nursing Regular Track program for people who do not already work as nurses. Some of these students are direct from high school and others have been living in Doha and working in another field.
All of the faculty at UCQ are Canadians. There are 20 Nursing Faculty teaching in the two Nursing programs. There are also 20 faculty teaching in the Foundation year. Foundation is the program that students are required to take prior to beginning the nursing program. It is a year (or more) of English, Math, and Science courses for the purpose of establishing a common level of proficiency. For many of these students, English is their second, third, or fourth language. They also come from a variety of countries and school systems.
There are currently 212 students attending classes at UCQ. The diversity of the student population is one of the most challenging and most rewarding aspects of this job. About 33 % of these students are Qatari (born and grew up here in Qatar). The other 67% are from a variety of backgrounds. In order to enroll as a student, a person must already have a Residence Permit for Qatar (parent or husband has a job here, for example). Six percent of the students are male. Lisa's clinical group of four students has one Qatari, one Egyptian, one Philippine, and one Russian. Sounds like fun, eh?
This term Lisa is teaching first year nursing students two courses: N211 Health Assessment and N209 Clinical Practice. It is a challenging teaching opportunity because of the language and cultural differences. The first adjustment was to the unfamiliar names and dress of the students. Jawaher, Hourraa, Wafa, Shouq, and Gahrymon now seem easy to pronounce. It also gets easier to recognize someone from their face alone. Most of the students wear an abaya over their clothes and a hijab on their head. It was interesting to realize how much we rely on hair, style of clothes, and body shape to identify people. When no one's hair shows, and everyone is wearing the same shapeless black robe, you quickly learn to notice facial features and voice.
An initial surprise was the first day of Lab when students come to practice clinical skills and are required to wear a Lab coat and the UCQ burgundy uniform. The students arrive wearing abayas and leave these on hooks by the door, revealing lab coats and uniforms underneath. The head remains covered with a white hijab (not the usual black).
With the winter term reaching halfway, and Midterm exams and evaluations behind, Lisa is starting to feel more comfortable with being back in the classroom.
In January Lisa started working at the University of Calgary -- Qatar (UCQ) School of Nursing. This has been a time of adjustment for our whole family.
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All of the faculty at UCQ are Canadians. There are 20 Nursing Faculty teaching in the two Nursing programs. There are also 20 faculty teaching in the Foundation year. Foundation is the program that students are required to take prior to beginning the nursing program. It is a year (or more) of English, Math, and Science courses for the purpose of establishing a common level of proficiency. For many of these students, English is their second, third, or fourth language. They also come from a variety of countries and school systems.
This term Lisa is teaching first year nursing students two courses: N211 Health Assessment and N209 Clinical Practice. It is a challenging teaching opportunity because of the language and cultural differences. The first adjustment was to the unfamiliar names and dress of the students. Jawaher, Hourraa, Wafa, Shouq, and Gahrymon now seem easy to pronounce. It also gets easier to recognize someone from their face alone. Most of the students wear an abaya over their clothes and a hijab on their head. It was interesting to realize how much we rely on hair, style of clothes, and body shape to identify people. When no one's hair shows, and everyone is wearing the same shapeless black robe, you quickly learn to notice facial features and voice.
An initial surprise was the first day of Lab when students come to practice clinical skills and are required to wear a Lab coat and the UCQ burgundy uniform. The students arrive wearing abayas and leave these on hooks by the door, revealing lab coats and uniforms underneath. The head remains covered with a white hijab (not the usual black).
With the winter term reaching halfway, and Midterm exams and evaluations behind, Lisa is starting to feel more comfortable with being back in the classroom.
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