Conversations with Our Medical Student, Abdalla Modar Dali: Sharing His Clinical Experience in Doha, Qatar

by George Sycallides, Communications office, UNIC Health
21 March 2025

Taking the initiative during his academic breaks, well ahead of his required clinical rotations, Abdalla Modar Dali, a second-year MD student, completed two voluntary clinical rotations at Al-Emadi Hospital in Doha, Qatar – one during the 2024 summer break and another during the winter break. Following these experiences, he shared insights about his medical education and practical training journey so far.

‘In our second year at UNIC, we already participate in Clinical Skills sessions, Communication Skills training, and regular ultrasound practice’, Abdalla explains. ‘Each student gets hands-on experience with simulated patients in settings that mirror hospital environments. We learn systematic examinations and practise patient consultations weekly’.

The value of this practical training became evident during his hospital rotations. ‘The difference between my first and second rotation at Al-Emadi Hospital was remarkable’, he continues. ‘Having completed my first rotation right after first year, I was mainly observing. However, returning during winter break of second year, after a semester of practical clinical skills training, I could actively apply what I had learned’.

He describes a moment where he successfully worked through a case of acute appendicitis, using skills from his communication training and knowledge from physiology lectures. ‘I was able to question the patient about their symptoms systematically, understand their blood test results, and interpret ultrasound images – all skills I had developed during my regular training sessions at UNIC’.

With modern medicine becoming increasingly complex – the International Classification of Diseases now contains more than 85,000 entries – Abdallah believes this integrated approach to medical education is essential. ‘Medical schools need to build curriculums that prepare students for both the theoretical and practical demands of modern healthcare; a new kind of doctor is needed to tackle the new demands of the 21st century’, he notes . Drawing from his own experience, he highlights the importance of this dual approach. ‘It is about learning the theory while also knowing how to use it with patients’, he concludes. ‘The confidence I have in my education comes from seeing how well it prepares us for real clinical practice. This approach to medical education creates doctors who are ready to start helping patients from their first day of work’.