World Rugby Medical Superweek Dubai, UAE,

The UAERF hosted the 1st Medical Superweek for 2017 with 12 candidates from 11 different countries across 7 Unions for the World Rugby Medical Educator course.

Language and cultural issues were major concerns for all at the start, but the week went smoothly with a total of 9 new Medical Educators being signed off and 3 more working towards accreditation.

This brings the total number of Medical Educators in Asia to 42 persons, spread across 12 countries (UAE, Thailand, Philippines, Chinese Taipei , China, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Korea, Sri Lanka, with participants from Uzbekistan and Mongolia working towards accreditation)

The Medial Superweek in Dubai also saw 18 FAIR (Level 1) & 9 ICIR (Level 2) participants being signed off. This will add to the current 658 certified medics & improve pitch side medical care for rugby in Asia.

Special thanks to:UAERF – For hosting the event

Sami Smara & Hazem from UAERF – For organising the event

Annie Browne (Health & Safety Solutions, Dubai, UAE) for providingthe excellent facilities, equipment and administrative support needed to host the courses.

Quotes

It was a successful and productive week for Player Welfare as emerging healthcare providers from across Asia came together to experience and be involved in World Rugby medical education and pitchside immediate care training. We will put this into practical context of supporting Asia Rugby and others within our reach, bridging the gap of expertise via transfers of knowledge and technology while creating networking opportunity. Ultimately, we did this to uphold Player Welfare and for the love of the Game

Dr Azril Syazwan Bin Mohd Ali
World Rugby Medical Trainer
Chief Medical Officer, Malaysia Rugby Union

“For an established medical lecturer to be an educator it is much more difficult than to be a teacher”

From a senior consultant surgeon and university lecturer on the Medical Educator Course

“The World Rugby Medical Educator course was excellent in every aspect and the Asia Rugby officials who had organized it did extremely well and it enabled me to become a good Educator. I got to know lot of people from various part of the Asia who have been involved in different levels of Rugby. The whole group developed good and strong relationships with each other which will help Asia Rugby to further develop Player Welfare throughout the Asia Region.”

Dr. Namith Sankalpana
Sports Physician – Sri Lanka Rugby Union

“It was a great experience to be involved in the World Rugby Medical Educator course. Working with Medical Trainers & having a first-hand insight on how they plan their courses was very interesting. Observing the potential Medical Trainers & Educators both challenged & got me thinking of the many cascading levels of World Rugby Training & Education. Looking forward to future Medical Educators Courses.”
Ghaith Jalajel
World Rugby Master Trainer &
Asia Rugby Development Officer (West Asia)

“It was a long and tiring week, teaching and learning. I very much enjoyed the new experience of becoming a Trainer and look forward to continuing this journey. Having the opportunity to see the role of the Educator from a new perspective as a Trainer was a unique process. I had the chance to refine my skills as an Educator by teaching the skills to a new group of participants from around Asia. The guidance and support from the senior Trainers was invaluable and I benefitted greatly from their experiences and teaching”

Merianne Selveraj
Medical Manager, Singapore Rugby Union
Provisional World Rugby Medical Trainer

The World Rugby Educator course in Dubai was a fantastic experience for me. I initially was worried about language problems, but all the Trainers encouraged me, and I grew with confidence because of the encouragement. I was also able to meet medical professionals from various countries, and further develop my skills while studying together. We are trained by the best Trainers who provided the best environment. All of this combined, so that we could go a step further. I was really lucky to be able to participate in this course. I am grateful to all my colleagues and Trainers who have been with me during the course.

Thank you!
Woojin Byun
Medical Officer, Korea Rugby Union

“The variety of regional representation within the Educator and participant groups attending the Medical Super Week in Dubai was one of those rare opportunities for everyone to work together, support and learn from each other’s experiences, and also to spend time understanding the range of challenges different unions work with and how they manage them. The ongoing networking and sharing of information will be a very positive legacy from this week.”

Joy Walter
World Rugby Medical Trainer
Asia Rugby Medical Coordinator

“I have been a medical trainer/instructor for many years and it was a new experience for me to be able to help new educators become more confident in their skills. Some were highly qualified medical professionals for whom becoming an educator was a new experience and not as easy as they had thought it would be! The best part for me was the diversity – we had 12 new educators from 11 different countries. Language barriers were overcome in a myriad of creative ways. Cultural differences were respected and a depth of understanding reached that would not be out of place in the United Nations building. My particular thanks go to the team at HSS who volunteered their services to make sure that everyone was fed and watered and had all the information and help they needed.”

Annie Browne
World Rugby Medical Educator
CEO, HSS, Dubai, UAE