International Alumni - Dr Yousef Alshahrani
The following reflection was written by聽Dr Yousef Alshahrani, and shared with Global Engagement by the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences.
When my employer (Umm Al-Qura University in Makkah Saudi Arabia) offered me a fully sponsored scholarship to study Masters and PhD in nursing, the most important aspect that I was thinking of was studying in a university that is high-ranked both generally and in nursing. After careful searching, I decided to study at the聽 Adelaide Nursing School. This decision was based on the availability of the course that me and my employer were interested in and on the ranking of the Adelaide Nursing School and The 成人大片.
When I commenced the study journey, the most concerning aspect to me was research because I had no prior research experience. However, in my Master's thesis I had the opportunity to be supervised by 2 of聽 the most experienced academic supervisors and researchers in the School, Associate Professor Lynette Cusack, and Associate Professor Philippa Rasmussen. They unpacked the research process and made it easier than what I expected despite its difficulty. The successful completion of my Master鈥檚 degree with achieving high grades made me brave enough to apply for a PhD under the supervision of the same supervisors.
Now I have graduated with a Masters and a PhD after spending about 7 years studying and researching in the Adelaide Nursing School. This has equipped me with immense academic, research and extracurricular experiences. Along with the research experience, I have enjoyed the experience of facilitating a Problem Based Learning course for Master of Clinical Nursing students. I also joined the Internationalisation Committee at Adelaide Nursing School as the representative of international students in the School. This experience enabled me to stay connected with all international students in the School to identify issues they confront or suggestions they have and convey them to the Committee members. Having learned and acquired all these experiences, I feel that I owe a lot to my country (Saudi Arabia) and will apply what I have learned during all these years to Umm Al-Qura University. Additionally, I intend to be part of the Nursing Alumni and stay connected to the University and my peers.