What is your job?

 

What is my job you ask?  Well let me tell you what I am doing in Qatar - besides eating at some great restaurants and enjoying those free sauna treatments.

A little background information first.  In 1995 His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani and Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser founded Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development.  The purpose of this foundation was to simply improve the lives of the Qatari people.  As a part of this, they organized Education City of Qatar.  This is an area on the outer limits of Qatar - out there in the desert (actually it is all desert).  Currently in Education City there are 6 American Universities open to the citizens of Qatar as well as students around the world.  Currently the universities are: 

• Virginia Commonwealth University
• Weill Cornell Medical College
• Texas A&M
• Carnegie Mellon
• Georgetown University
• Northwestern University

In 2004 Qatar Foundation awarded the largest endowment ever for a medical facility - $7.9 Billion.  That is not a typo!  The decision was made to make this facility a center for excellence for clinical care, medical training and research.  Specifically it focuses on the care of infants, children and women, although the research will help many groups of patients.  Our partner is Weill Cornell Medical School and the new Sidra Medical Center is located in Education City.  The building was designed by the famous Argentine-American architect Cesar Pelli.  We are told it is a 5 star resort that will function as a hospital.

The emphasis here is the best.  We are expected to reformulate the current flow of care in the country and come up with the best evidenced based practice possible.  Not good or great but the absolute best!  Qatar Foundation will NOT tolerate anything less.  This is repeated daily - not in a bad way but to keep us focused on the ultimate goal.  Budget does not seem to be mentioned - just achieve the goal! (That is a huge shift from the American model which is just make the ridiculously tight budget)

This care model being utilized is based on Western standards so the clinical personnel being recruited come mostly from countries that already use this medical model - Australia, New Zealand, England, Ireland, Canada and the United States.  Somehow, Sidra Medical recruiting got my name. Someone thought I had the knowledge to organize the Neonatal Intensive Care!

Currently I sit at a desk on the 8th floor of the Sidra Medical Center headquarters.  The clinical planning staff will not be moved to the hospital building until it passes commissioning which will be completed in 2014. The entire Neonatal Department consists of me and one other Clinical Leader (from Virginia!).  Yes, so far the 2 of us are given the challenge of setting up the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.  No managers - No Neonatologists yet.  Just us.  That is scary!  I am having heart palpitations even as I write that statement.  Luckily there are some Pediatric personnel that have been here longer and they are being very helpful as we start this marathon.

Currently there are about 500 employees of Sidra Medical Center but by opening they believe the number will be about 5,000.  Opening date at this time stands at early 2015 - we have a lot of work to do!

So when people ask what I do here - well I can answer that I sit at my desk on the 8th floor and wonder why in the world they chose me and hope that I am up to this awesome task.  It is an experience in nusing/medical care that I could not of hoped to experience during my career.  WOW!