University of Calgary – Qatar launches student exchange program

Three University of Calgary nursing students made the trek to Qatar for the first ever official student exchange with the satellite campus in Doha. The trio will do clinical work at the Heart Hospital along with some classes on campus. 

“I am just so interested in the cultural differences and looking at what it is like to nurse, in a very different country. I’m really excited about seeing how that plays into professional roles. Not only in the hospital but while living in a very different society,” explained Stephanie Engeler, one of the, 3 fourth year nursing students.

The student exchange is the first since the satellite campus was established in 2007. “It will be partly a cultural experience, working in an international city, as well as honing their skills in terms of clinical practice. My expectations are that they’re going to be observing the cultural differences and how we practice nursing in other parts of the world,” explains Suzette Miller, a Senior Instructor who is accompanying the students.

The visiting students are excited about the opportunity and the welcome they received. “It’s such a modern city, with the oil and the huge multi-cultural influx. There are people from just about everywhere here. I’m seeing that immediately.  Everyone has their little flavors all over the city and I really enjoy that. We’re going to see how culture fits into nursing and what it’s like to live in this part of the world,” stated Carina Vigna.

The visiting students were greeted at a reception in the newly created Centre for Language, Culture and Media (CLCM).   Director John Botting was thrilled to have the CLCM christened by the first student exchange. “Originally, the Centre was just going to be a language lab. But you realize that language is linked to culture. You can’t really separate the two.  Anyone who does their job here, you realize there is a huge cultural element. So, as you’re trying to teach language you also have to think about culture. In the end, it’s all about communication whether it’s language or culture. So, the centre is intended to encapsulate that broader scope of contemporary communication in an academic environment.”   

The trio’s first impressions of Doha are good ones but there are some things that will require some adjustment. “The heat is quite an experience. It is strange not to see people on the streets because it is literally too hot to be outside,” says Engeler. 

The Calgary/Doha student exchange is a pilot project. However, plans are already in the works to have a second group visit in the Winter 2013 session. 

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