UCalgary in Qatar student takes 2nd place at 8th annual Interprofessional Education forum

On March 11, 2023, students from the University of Calgary in Qatar (UCQ) participated in the 8th annual Interprofessional Education (IPE) forum, hosted by Qatar University. This year’s forum brought together students from various health-care professions and institutions to learn from each other.

As part of the forum, participants from disciplines such as medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and health sciences were involved in different challenges. The forum provided a platform for students to engage in interprofessional education and practice, which is essential for effective teamwork in health-care settings.

The forum also featured keynote speeches from experts in health care and education. These speeches provided insight into current trends and challenges in the health-care industry, and helped students develop a deeper understanding of the importance of interprofessional education and collaboration.

The primary objective of the event was to encourage students from different health care fields to engage in collaborative workshops and competitions that promote and foster interprofessional education. The forum was attended by faculty members and students from participating institutions including Qatar University, University of Doha Science and Technology, Weill Cornell Medicine – Qatar, and the University of Calgary in Qatar.

In reflecting on UCQ’s participation in the forum, Dr. Deborah White, dean and professor at UCQ, says, “I am so thrilled to see our students continuously engaged in IPE events in Qatar. The breadth and depth of learning through interprofessional collaboration should not be underestimated, as the goal of every health-care profession is to provide quality patient-centred care. IPE events provide an unmatched opportunity for students to learn more about themselves and the health-care professions they will work with in the future.”

The forum consisted of the Health Team challenge as well as a Health Talk challenge. The Health Team challenges were organized into four teams, with each member representing a different health-care profession. Third-year UCQ students Tabarak Gulrez, Marc Angelo Igna, and Angela Faith Pieres were among the participants in each team. Each team was given case scenarios and worked together to develop an ideal care plan for patient needs.

To ensure interprofessional education criteria were met, each team was also assigned a mentor and co-mentor from the IPE team. The judges for the Health Team challenges were Dr. Reema Tayyem, Ms. Sandee Thompson, Dr. Tasneem Hartley, Dr. Sara Haider, and UCQ's faculty member, Dr. Behi Nikaiin. Each team presented their case and care plan, followed by a question-and-answer session with the judges.

The Health Talk challenge was an oral competition in which 13 students from different health-care professions participated. The themes for the talk were: Advocating for Your Profession, and Sharing an IPE Experience. Dr. Layal Karam, Dr. Wisam Nabeel Ibrahim, Mr. Norman Wong, Dr. Sara Haider, and UCQ's faculty member, Dr. Dilshad Piran, were the judges for the competition.

Aliya Muzafar, a third-year UCQ student, represented her institution and won second place with her speech on the role of nurses in patient teaching and patient-centred care. Her presentation highlighted the legal responsibility of nurses to ensure effective patient education and stressed the importance of tailoring patient teaching to meet individual needs while considering social determinants of health and health literacy. 

“This year’s IPE forum provided a unique opportunity for us as UCQ nursing students to engage and meet with other students from different health-care professions and institutions to learn from one other, exchange knowledge and collaborate effectively,” Muzafar says. 

This was not the first time that Muzafar made UCQ proud on an interprofessional level. In 2020, she and her two team members from different health-care professions won the IPE debate competition on the topic Tele Health vs Hospital Visits.

The UCQ campus community is proud of its students and faculty’s IPE engagement and achievements over the years, as it will shape the future of health care in Qatar and beyond.