Zarqa, Oct. 13 (Petra) -- Hashemite University (HU) held the final conference of the European Union-funded "Educational Capacity Building for Clinical Preceptors" project (CaP4Preceptors) under the Erasmus+ program.

The project trained 344 clinical trainers from the Ministry of Health, the Jordanian Royal Medical Services and Jordanian medical schools.

Held under the patronage of HU President Khaled Hiyari, the conference presented the project’s outcomes and discussed sustainability of its training program. The project targets physicians, who supervise and train medical students in university and teaching hospitals and elsewhere.

The EU ambassador to Jordan, former health ministers, the Jordan Medical Council secretary general, the Jordanian Royal Medical Services deputy director general and the Erasmus+ National Office director attended the event.

In presence were also vice presidents of the participating universities and the deans of their medical schools. Academics, physicians and faculty members from university and teaching hospitals and medical schools also attended, alongside a number of medical students.

The participating institutions are Jordan’s Hashemite University, the University of Jordan, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Mutah University, Yarmouk University and Al-Balqa Applied University, plus Portugal’s University of Minho and Greece’s University of Patras.

The 3-year project offered training and qualification to physicians, specialists and consultants who teach and train medical students during their clinical years.

It covered teaching strategies in the clinical setting, supervision and mentoring, student assessment, constructive feedback, effective communication with students and patients, and professional ethics.

Participants completed self-paced e-learning modules and hands-on training and received 10 hours of professional development accredited by the Jordan Medical Council.

Talking at the closing ceremony, Hiyari said international cooperation is a key pillar in developing higher education in Jordan. He said exchanging knowledge and expertise strengthens the education system, widens opportunities for students and improves service to communities.

Academic partnerships let institutions learn from one another and respond better to their own needs and society’s, he stressed. He described CaP4Preceptors as a model of the cooperation the university seeks, bringing together medical schools in Jordan, Greece and Portugal around a shared commitment to improving clinical medical education.

In turn, EU Ambassador Pierre-Christophe Chatzisavas highlighted the project as innovative in developing medical education at Jordanian universities and improving medical services.

He said investing in preparing clinical trainers directly benefits medical students’ learning, adding that: "Today we celebrate a new achievement for Hashemite University," he said, noting it won four of 12 projects this year under the Erasmus+ capacity building in higher education program."

Erasmus+ Director Ahmad Abu-El-Haija said Hashemite University has always been a platform for creative projects. He underscored that the program backs distinguished ideas and accompanies researchers from the initial idea to the full proposal.

Walid Maani, professor of neurosurgery at the University of Jordan, urged integrated career path for physicians.

He said the undergraduate stage, internship year, residency programs and continuing professional development should form one connected path.

The coming decade will be measured by graduates’ competence, safe practice, the usefulness of research and public trust in institutions, he said, adding that this scenario requires a national vision that treats medical education as an integrated, interlinked system, he added.

Mahmoud Sheyyab, professor of pediatrics at Jordan University of Science and Technology, detailed the skills tomorrow’s doctor needs: digital literacy and artificial intelligence, communication, leadership, teamwork, ethical thinking, adaptability and continuous learning.

He called for rethinking the traditional model that assumes one university degree is enough for an entire career. "Micro-credentials" allow skills to be developed continuously, he said, describing them as skills-based programs lasting no more than six months.

Jordan Medical Council Secretary General Manar Lawama said Jordan needs a single body to oversee a physician’s whole journey, from admission to practice, and ensure its continuity until the end of the professional life. She said admission relies mainly on academic achievement and that more attention is needed to a student’s suitability for medicine and readiness for its professional and humanitarian demands.

Project Director and Faculty of Educational Sciences Dean Randa Mahasneh said the project trained about 344 clinical supervisors between 2023 and 2026. She said 90.9 percent of them reported applying what they learned in practice, while 60 percent of students noted improvement in their clinical experience.

The project received €800,000 in EU funding, aimed to equip clinical trainers in Jordan with the knowledge and skills to perform their role efficiently, strengthen their training expertise and improve the quality of students’ clinical experience, she pointed out.

//Petra// NQ

14/10/2026 16:49:42