Around 50 faculty and senior clinicians from various health institutions in Qatar and the Gulf region took part in workshop at Qatar University College of Medicine (QU-CMED).
The participants were briefed on the methodologies and tools to write test items and assessment of medical competencies using multiple choice questions.
The activity was part of a series of meetings by the International Foundations of Medicine (IFOM) and International Oversight Committee (IOC) taskforce, which ran from February 19 to 23.
Described as first-of-their-kind in the GCC, the meetings were organised by the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME), a leading US academic organisation in service to the public and health professions.
“We are always working to serve the community of Qatar and ensure alignment of our curriculum with international standards,” QU vice president for Medical and Health Sciences and CMED dean Dr Egon Toft said.
He noted that the continuing professional education workshop aims to improve the competency of faculty in constructing quality multiple questions for medical students.
“This is the second time I have come to the college, and I am glad to have the opportunity to observe the progress of the college over the period of the last few months,” said Dr Brownell Anderson, NBME vice president for international programmes.
The NBME was founded in 1915 in Philadelphia, US, with the mission to protect the health of the public through state-of-the-art assessments worldwide, committed to research and development in evaluation and measurement.  
The NBME develops and manages the US Medical Licensing Examination. Carrying out its mission, the IFOM examinations measure the student’s core knowledge expected internationally at critical points in their undergraduate medical education.