In keeping with their staff development plans, a group of healthcare professionals from the leading Al Moosa Hospital in Saudi Arabia were hosted recently at US-based Cleveland Clinic.
With the aim of advancing leadership within Al Moosa Hospital, four team members participated in a one-week preceptorship program at Cleveland Clinic’s main campus in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, where five additional team members three of which are Saudi nationals attended Cleveland Clinic’s Patient Experience Summit in May.
The one-week program, which has been offered for decades by Cleveland Clinic to healthcare professionals worldwide, is administered and directed by Cleveland Clinic’s Center for International Medical Education and International Operations Department.
Through the program, Cleveland Clinic offers observership and preceptorship opportunities in a variety of operational, clinical, strategic growth and international arenas. The participants gain career experience in healthcare management under the mentorship and guidance of the program directors and other executive and senior leaders from Cleveland Clinic.
Tailored upon their needs and areas of interest, each member visited, interacted and attended courses related to their field. The group included a physician who leads the professional staff department, the nursing director, and the quality improvement and infection control managers at Al Moosa Hospital. Participants engaged in one-on-one clinical observations and shadowed staff involved in departmental administrative functions, while examining best practices and operational strengths of Cleveland Clinic.
After completing the program in Ohio, USA, they returned to Saudi Arabia, bringing with them the knowledge and experience needed to develop their functional departments, which in return reflects on patient satisfaction at Al Moosa Hospital.
Malek Al Moosa, CEO of Al Moosa Hospital, said “Our investment continues in our administrative and clinical leaders in addition to our Saudi national workforce, and this is evident with our collaboration with Cleveland Clinic and in specific their preceptorship and observership program. We have also arranged for a group of Saudi nationals from our team members to attend the Fifth Annual Patient Experience Summit organized by Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. Attendees brought to us a wealth of information, ideas and knowledge that will help us with our continuous efforts to enhance our patient experience at Al Moosa Hospital. In the near future, we look forward to enrolling more of our team members, who will eventually support our initiatives to improve our patient experience, delivery of care and quality of healthcare services.”
Robert Stall, Executive Director of International Operations at Cleveland Clinic, said, “Cleveland Clinic is known for its strong, long-standing commitment to education. It makes us proud to cooperate with Al Moosa Hospital in developing the skills of their team members. During the preceptorship program, participants from Al Moosa Hospital learned more about patient experience, leadership, quality, and patient safety. Cleveland Clinic leaders are committed to the growth and development of healthcare professionals and are consistently willing to engage participants from the Middle East region and Gulf countries.”
In 2012, Cleveland Clinic has established an office – in partnership with Healthcare Development Holding Co. – in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The office facilitates educational and training programs at Cleveland Clinic and provides consultancy services to local healthcare organizations in Saudi Arabia.
Ms. Omnia Shuhail, Saudi National, Patient Experience Director at Al Moosa Hospital in Saudi Arabia who has attended the recent Patient Experience Summit at Cleveland Clinic, said, “The summit was one-of-a-kind, attracting over 2,100 attendees from the US and around the globe. It allowed me to build a solid platform on patient experience from all different aspects. As a successful healthcare professional, we must not only possess the knowledge of utilizing innovative management tools to enhance patient care, but we must also develop interpersonal and behavioral skills, which the summit supported us with. A full day was dedicated for attendees from outside the US, and it was a great platform for the exchange of expertise, research and industry knowledge – one that has helped us gain even greater insight into the workings of integrated health systems in different countries.”