Exam Success for MCh (Orth) Graduate

Dr Vincent Stephen, a UDOTS MCh (Orth) graduate from 2019-2020, has completed his HAAD Examination at the first attempt.

If an individual wants to practice within a profession in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), they are required to obtain a professional license. Healthcare professionals in Abu Dhabi must obtain their license through the Health Authority of Abu Dhabi (HAAD) and must take the HAAD Exam. The first step in this process involves paying a fee, going on a training course and then finally sitting exams for Ministry approval. Doctors in Abu Dhabi must obtain specific licenses from HAAD depending on whether they are interns, general practitioners, specialists, consultants or resident doctors.

Dr Stephen’s MCh (Orth) research topic was entitled “Analysis of complications of collarless polished tapered (CPT) implant in Primary Total Hip Arthroplasty using binary logistic regression” and was co-supervised by Dr Weijie Wang and Mrs Linda Johnston from UDOTS.

Dr Stephen stated:

“I decided to take a sabbatical after 15 years of clinical practice to enrol on the MCh (Orth) course in Dundee, in the hope that I could gain insight into new developments in the field of orthopaedics. I realised that orthopaedics had changed substantially since I graduated. The course focus was on basic sciences, brilliant clinical discussions, biomechanics and gait analysis which all helped to improve my understanding of clinical cases and how I now approach them. I also became aware of the protocols followed in the UK. It helped me forge a close bond with my fellow batchmates and gave a taste of student life after College. Most importantly it inspired us to study more and keep ourselves up to date clinically. I applied for and cleared the HAAD examination for specialist orthopaedics at my first attempt. The HAAD exam is an extremely competitive exam structured along the lines of the FRCS orthopaedics examination. I firmly believe that it was my experience at the University of Dundee that helped me clear the exam without great difficulty. I’d like to thank everyone at UDOTS for their support and guidance.”

Mr Arpit Jariwala, UDOTS Director and MCh (Orth) Programme Director, added:

“I’d like to congratulate Vincent on behalf of us all at UDOTS. This is fantastic news and very well done given that the exam is extremely tough to pass. I’m an MCh (Orth) graduate myself from 2003 and therefore understand from personal experience just how the experience and knowledge gained while on the course and the kudos of degree qualification can help shape lives and careers. Our student cohort from 2019-2020 have excelled this year under the difficult and unprecedented circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and I look forward to highlighting more success stories in the coming months.”