Conference highlights education in health professions

 
Muscat: The National University of Science and Technology’s International conference on Higher Education in Health held at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre, under the auspices of Shaikh Ghosn bin Hilal al Alawi, Chairman of the State Financial and Administrative Audit Institution, witnessed global Participation and High-quality scientific discourse and broad participation from academics and healthcare practitioners.
Dr Mohamed Ali, Chancellor, National University, emphasised the significance of launching the conference for the first time, describing it as a new platform that strengthens the Oman’s role in advancing medical and health professions. “This is an opportunity for the National and international experts to be under one roof and share their learnings, and expertise with others. This enhances our knowledge. We are always learning from others and that is very important. Your own perception is something, but when you learn from others, our own. Knowledge is enhanced,” he told the Observer.
Dr Ali bin Saud al Baimani, Vice-Chancellor of the National University, noted that the conference reflects the University’s commitment to excellence and innovation, and contributes to the advancement of health professions education through the adoption of global best practices in support of the healthcare system in the Sultanate of Oman.
“This for our experts and students to learn more about the latest development especially with the advancement of AI — It is here to stay and so we wanted to ensure that teachers, students and especially parents know how to use it. At the National University we have a research centre for AI,” Dr Al Baimani said.
The Conference Chair and Dean of the College of Medicine, Professor Mohammed al Shafaee, stated that organising this scientific event represents a pivotal milestone for the National University, affirming that the scale of international participation reflects the Sultanate’s growing stature as a regional hub for academic excellence in health professions education.
“The main objective of this conference is to improve the quality of education in the health Professions. This is part of the priority of the Oman’s Economic Vision His Majesty’s vision in developing the human resources in the health sector,” he said.
Prof Richard Reznick noted that in the last thirty or forty years there have been many changes. Then there was no such thing as simulation based learning, and now virtually every academic institution has robust programmes appropriately in stimulation. The biggest concern about health care delivery has not been in the quality of care but in the communication of professionalism. Patient safety was not a word 25 years ago and we have invested heavily in performance based assessment and competency based education.