A total of 61 first year-students from the College of the North Atlantic - Qatar (CNA-Q)’s School of Health Sciences have been presented with embroidered crests to display on their uniforms.
The keepsake was given to them during the School’s third annual Crest Ceremony, an event that celebrates students’ choice to enter the healthcare field and officially welcomes them to an elite group of students on campus.
Guest speaker Dr Fouzia al-Naimi, health workforce development manager for the Ministry of Public Health, commended them for their chosen career path.
In her address, she outlined the benefits of becoming a healthcare professional and personal fulfillment in her career - from her start in nursing to her current role in helping grow professionalism among healthcare workers in Qatar.
Mohamed Hamza, an advanced care paramedicine student who will graduate this year, also spoke to the group of new students. He spoke about wearing his own crest for the past three years and how his education allowed him to learn many life-saving skills that made a difference to people in Qatar.
He said his most rewarding educational experience was during a clinical placement last year when he helped save a man’s life by using CPR.
“I knew at that moment that I had chosen the right profession,” he said.
“This ceremony is about making our students feel welcome - to CNA-Q and to the community of healthcare professionals. It is a special event that celebrates the beginning of a long and successful career in Qatar’s healthcare sector, which is developing at a rapid pace,” said Irene O’Brien, dean, School of Health Sciences.
CNA-Q offers eight healthcare diploma programmes, tailored to the needs of Qatar’s growing healthcare sector: advanced care paramedicine, dental assistant, dental hygiene, occupational health & safety, medical radiography technology, patient education, pharmacy technician and respiratory therapy.