SIU Scholarship: Dr. Mohamed Zahid Musa Almasri

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The Société Internationale d'Urologie offers Training Scholarships for young doctors with basic surgical or urological qualifications. The SIU Scholarships involve training in a recognized Urological center of excellence located in the candidate's geographical region. These SIU-accredited centers provide an excellent environment for learning and, in many instances, hands-on experience, so that candidates may acquire knowledge and skills that they will be able to transfer to their own setting of practice. In this series of short communications, SIU Scholars write about the impact that these training opportunities facilitated by the SIU had on their quality of care and career development. Information about applying for an SIU Scholarship is available athttp://www.siu-urology.org/. Many of my colleagues and I believe that research in the field of urology in Sudan is still lagging behind because of the lack of facilities and training. Therefore, I was looking forward to attend as an observer, generally in medicine, at different schools and especially in urology outside Sudan. The SIU training scholarship provided me with a great opportunity to achieve this goal. It was convenient selecting a nearby training center. Because of the excellent reputation of Professor Ismail Khalaf and his colleagues, I decided to undergo training at the Al-Azhar University, Egypt. The SIU scholarship regulations were clear and straightforward. I had an interview with the director of training within a few days, and the expenses for my stay at the center were reasonable for me. I received the final acceptance letter from the SIU in time, which facilitated my arrangements for traveling from Sudan to Egypt. My training commenced in August 2005 in the Department of Urology at the Al-Azhar University Hospital, Cairo. The hospital provided me with free accommodation as a resident doctor. The training program was hectic, including, in addition to the surgical activities, making clinical rounds, diagnostic and therapeutic ultrasound sessions, and managing outpatients clinics. The most interesting activity was the weekly meeting of the professors during which every case was discussed and revised in detail and a management plan was decided and approved by all the attendants. Endourology, urooncology, and reconstructive urology cases were frequently encountered and treated, which resulted in an excellent experience for us. Research activities were part of the training program, and the director of training helped me attend several interesting workshops conducted in other centers in the area. After completing the training I returned to Sudan, applying most of the new skills and knowledge that I had learned; I now feel more satisfied regarding my career. I continue to have excellent relations with most of the colleagues at the hospital in Egypt. They have visited our center twice in Sudan, and during these visits they conducted comprehensive courses on TRUS, ultrasound-guided percutaneous nephrostomy, PCNL, and urethroplasty, which were extremely beneficial to us. They helped us revise our systems and provided us with valuable advice in this regard. My colleagues and I regularly consult our professors at the Al-Azhar University regarding many of our complicated cases, and we appreciate their advice. Presently, I am still attending the urology training program and looking forward to spending more time at other training centers so as to acquire more skills and knowledge that will help me provide updated and optimal care for my patients and community. I am satisfied regarding the advantages of the training that I received in Egypt, but I believe that we need more training time to improve the quality of urological practice in Sudan. I thank the SIU, Al-Azhar University, and Professor Ismail Khalaf for providing me with this opportunity to advance my career. Abbreviated CV. Dr. Mohamed Zahid Musa Almasri was born on May 31, 1972 in Sudan. He studied at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Gezira, Sudan, and received MB, BS degrees in 1995. After completing his internship in 1998, he received a Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland (FRCS Ireland) in 2003. From August 2003 he underwent specialized training in urology at the Gezira Hospital for Renal Diseases and Surgery in Madani, Sudan. From August 2005 to March 2006 he attended as an SIU scholar at the Al-Azhar University Hospital in Cairo, Egypt. From April 2007 to April 2008 he underwent further training in urology at the Alexandria University Hospital in Egypt.