Sidra Medical Doha

Hi darang Sorry i didn't mean testimonials I meant transcripts This is what they've asked for for my registration: Copies of Transcripts of Nursing Training (for the degrees/diplomas obtained as per above) These must specify the name of course, dates of training, subjects taken, grades achieved for each subject and (ideally) the hours. Dont know what to do about getting these?

Hi All, I received my offer I am very pleased that Sidra considered all the points I mentioned. I am really excited. This came in perfect time as I am on vacation in the Bahamas, definitely excited. I would like to know if anyone will be working at the Oncology Inpatient? Good luck all R Hi Rayegee, Did they offer you a higher pay in the end? I'm an Allied Health professional with an area of speciality and 10 yrs experience and I tried to negiotiate my pay but they said the best they can offer is 18,900 with transport 2000. I am seriously considering all options as having done some further research on cost of living, it seems to be rising.

Hi PJ11 At what stage were you asked for testimonial from the hosp you trained at? I also trained in a now closed hospital in the UK. but I have not been asked to provide this testimonial yet. What are you going to do to solve this problem? I have received my contract but am still gathering paperwork to apply for registration.

Hi PetkoNZ The Criminal record can be attested in Canberra. Take 20 working days to apply for here then when you get it you send it to Internal affairs to be certified then send it to the Qatar Embassy to be attested,so will take a while!!! Its taking for ever to the nursing registration paperwork. my other problem is they want testimonial from where I trained and the Hospitals I trained at in the UK have both closed! I applied for the position directly with the Hospital but I have a few friends also going over and they've gone through Geneva. <em>edited by PJ11 on 11/01/2015</em>

Looks like Sidra will open this year. http://www.arabnursingjobs.com/qatar-health-news/inshallah-sidra-medical-research-center-to-open-mid-2015-qatar-pm-demands-hospital-project-to-complete/

@rayegee12 Hi Raygee12! Im from Melbourne, Australia and I have received the offer to work in the Paed.Onc Day Ward as well! Have you received a proper contract with a salary offer yet? I haven't really received anything...just emailed them again to ask when they know when everythings opening...hope it isn't 2016! Cheers, Gem

I'm worried about my nursing registration too, as I'm unable to sit the exam in New Zealand- the recruiting team have said its OK to do it once i get there -that's a bit scarey, supposing I fail! My other option is to fly to Australia to do it, but that's expensive and Sidra wont reimburse that. Are any other Kiwis in this situation. Also how did you go about getting your criminal record attested? did you send it to Australia as there is no Embassy in New Zealand? Hi PJ11 I am a Kiwi in the same boat as you. I signed my Employment agreement at the end of Sep 2014 and have heard diddly squat since. I am 10yrs post, so the thought of sitting a general exam FREAKS me out as I have been in specialty nursing for most of my career and feel like I forgotten a lot of med/surg related knowledge. I was also advised the Criminal Record needs to be attested in Indonesia or Singapore (can't remember) for NZders??? Who did you go through for this position - I've gone through Geneva...Thanks

I was able to sit the test in my own country. Bexmacp it is a computer online test but it is sat in an exam centre under very strict exam conditions. PJ11 I would not be worried about passing it. You need to get 50% for a pass and can attempt it up to 3 times on the one fee for the exam. It is very medical/surgical nursing based. There were No obstetric questions on it for me. But it is not the type of exam you can study for. It assess your skills in assessment of care, planning of care, evaluation of care, and less so in diagnosis of condition. There was qatar embassy in my country either so I had to post my criminal record over to the UK qatar embassy. That was very simple and straight forward. If you look up the embassy website in Australia they will have a section on how to get documents attested from abroad. Hope this helps

I'm worried about my nursing registration too, as I'm unable to sit the exam in New Zealand- the recruiting team have said its OK to do it once i get there -that's a bit scarey, supposing I fail! My other option is to fly to Australia to do it, but that's expensive and Sidra wont reimburse that. Are any other Kiwis in this situation. Also how did you go about getting your criminal record attested? did you send it to Australia as there is no Embassy in New Zealand? Hey I am a Kiwi too. I have just sent off my first lot of documents for stage one. I saw we had to sit a test, did not know that we could not? My understanding of it was that it was online?

I'm worried about my nursing registration too, as I'm unable to sit the exam in New Zealand- the recruiting team have said its OK to do it once i get there -that's a bit scarey, supposing I fail! My other option is to fly to Australia to do it, but that's expensive and Sidra wont reimburse that. Are any other Kiwis in this situation. Also how did you go about getting your criminal record attested? did you send it to Australia as there is no Embassy in New Zealand?

Hi Sparks, I am not a nurse, but have also been waiting for my registration for more than 2months nows. I recently contacted HR to see if there was any issue, but none as far as they knew but were checking into the delay. I will keep you posted. Hopefully we both hear some good news soon!!

Hi everyone, I am wondering have any nurses gone through the registration with the supreme council of health yet. I am now 2 months waiting on my registration. I was told it would take one month. I had hoped to be going to Qatar in February but we wont make that deadline now. Are any nurses at a similar stage as this? I have been informed the next stage is getting my visa and then we set the date/book flights. I had really hoped to have a date set by now, feeling disheartened by the whole process.

Got what I wanted and took the position. :):biggrin::party: Congrats. Best regards. I am a pharmacist & still waiting on my offer.

Got what I wanted and took the position. :):biggrin::party:

[i'>"You can travel freely once you get your Qatar Residence Permit (RP), which should take about four to six weeks after you arrive into Qatar. If you need to leave for an emergency situation during this time, they can apply for a new visa for you to return back to Qatar."[/i'> The above does not include the information that when you have your RP you [b'>WILL [/b'>require an exit permit to exit the country - that permit must be authorized by your employer, otherwise, you don't exit. The first visa you enter on I'm not sure about exiting without an exit permit. Some employers will allow you to apply for a multiple exit permit that is good for one year. There are many who won't and I don't know which category SIDRA falls into. However, I do know the entire RP application process will have to be started again if you exit during that 4 - 6 week process. I don't know about SIDRA, but my quasi-government employer charges the employee if the RP process has to be restarted

@RRTNICU your info is right as I found similarities after reading here http://www.arabnursingjobs.com/qatar-health-news/read-all-questions-answers-about-sidra-medical-and-research-center-before-you-apply-as-a-registered-nurse/ :cool::cool: You rock!!!! That is just what I needed. How weird that my recruiter didn't send me a copy of that. It's from Sidra. Odd. Oh well it's all good.

@RRTNICU your info is right as I found similarities after reading here http://www.arabnursingjobs.com/qatar-health-news/read-all-questions-answers-about-sidra-medical-and-research-center-before-you-apply-as-a-registered-nurse/

Hi all. I have answered my provisional offer with a open end request for more monthly salary. Also asked a few questions to my recruiter. I will share the answers. :) Shifts? They are not able to confirm shift pattern at this point. This is the information we have received regarding shifts for RTs from the Recruitment Specialist- “The intent is to be 12 hour shifts however this has not been approved. Once a final decision has been made this will be communicated. There will be ‘Core Teams’. There still may be a need for rotating on a monthly basis.” Start date? They will not be mobilising anyone before March because of limited office space. The Hiring Manager is putting together a plan of how/when to stagger RTs. A general timeline to have in mind is 3-6 months from when you sign the Employment Agreement. Housing? You will be provided fully furnished accommodation. The building/complex you will be placed in won’t be confirmed until 2 weeks prior to you travelling due to availability. The accommodation provided isn't compound style- Sidra has acquired a number of buildings throughout Doha. Other Sidra employees will also live in the same accommodation. The accommodation is not shared- it will be solely yours. There is the option of opting out of the provided accommodation and receiving a housing allowance instead- however it is recommended to initially stay in the housing provided. Dress code? (I asked about scrubs) Dress code has not been confirmed for once the hospital is open. Prior to the hospital opening, the dress code for the office is-Dresses/skirts below the knee, trousers and blouses with a modest neckline and no less than half sleeve. Dresses, skirts, trousers and blouses must be of a professional style. Exit visa etc? The visa you will be issued in order to travel to Qatar to take up employment with Sidra is called a Permanent Work Visa and from the time it‘s issued, you have a six-month window in which to enter Qatar. From the date you enter Qatar, the visa is valid for six months, i.e. you can live and work in Qatar using this visa for six months. Within your first few weeks here we will submit application for your Residency Permit (RP) which is a renewable visa that permits you to live and work in Qatar. The RP usually takes 4-6 weeks to be obtained. Your work visa is a single entry visa only. This means it is considered cancelled once you exit Qatar. You can travel freely once you get your Qatar Residence Permit (RP), which should take about four to six weeks after you arrive into Qatar. If you need to leave for an emergency situation during this time, they can apply for a new visa for you to return back to Qatar. We know there are people working at Sidra but we don't know when it will open fully. Yes teething issues for sure.

@EMNZ I was informed by Sidra that I should submit all my paperwork and expect to be flown out sometime in February/March 2015 depending on how fast my paperwork is processed. I was not given a definite answer which i find very worrying to leave an established organisation for a new hospital. My fears are whether the new batch of staff like myself will be used as a trial to correct their organisational problems or sidra will open in full swing with everything intact. As a new facility I believe there will be lots of teething problems etc, friends and family are advising me to start work at sidra in 2016 after a year of operation. Who knows there are a few nurses here in sydney who are heading out there with one already working as a clinical nurse leader. My friend who is already there informed me that they are currently working using simulation as they prepare to open. She did say it may or may not open March 2016 as the hospital is still keeping quiet about the completion date. So If I do get hold of any factual information, i will share it here edited by mayanurse1 on 18/12/2014 Hi Mayanurse1, as you pointed out staff should expect teething problems. Even in established hospitals there will always be trial and error (how much more it will be in a new one like Sidra). Like yourself, I work in an established hospital and quite a risk in jumping to a new one. Some of the requirements they're asking are time sensitive (e.g. Certificate of good standing). The validity of the said document is only 6 months. So if anyone already on this stage and submitted this requirement, would that mean to re-submit it again since it will not open until 2016? My excitement when I applied was way too high but started to wane off. I accepted the offer but I still have an option to withdraw.

@EMNZ I was informed by Sidra that I should submit all my paperwork and expect to be flown out sometime in February/March 2015 depending on how fast my paperwork is processed. I was not given a definite answer which i find very worrying to leave an established organisation for a new hospital. My fears are whether the new batch of staff like myself will be used as a trial to correct their organisational problems or sidra will open in full swing with everything intact. As a new facility I believe there will be lots of teething problems etc, friends and family are advising me to start work at sidra in 2016 after a year of operation. Who knows there are a few nurses here in sydney who are heading out there with one already working as a clinical nurse leader. My friend who is already there informed me that they are currently working using simulation as they prepare to open. She did say it may or may not open March 2016 as the hospital is still keeping quiet about the completion date. So If I do get hold of any factual information, i will share it here <em>edited by mayanurse1 on 18/12/2014</em>

Mayanurse1, just wondering if you have a date that you are leaving Aus and have you been asked to work on any special projects before the hospital opens? I am just interested in what they have indicated to nurses what they will be doing before the hospital opens. Thanks :)

Hi everyone I am an Aussie heading to Sidra in the new year as an inpatient surgical nurse, any Kiwis or Aussies also starting in the new year at sidra? I would love to hear from you guys. @RRTNICU I found this also helpful (http://www.arabnursingjobs.com/expat-arab-nurse/how-to-negotiate-salary-as-an-expat-nurse-in-the-middle-east/ ) as I did not settle for the first salary Sidra Quoted, I negotiated with them and I received and extra 4000QAR to my basic salary on a monthly basis I wish you all the best with your negotiation hopefully to meet some of you guys in Doha:)

I have a few questions. Got my provisional offer. To those that got there offers? Did you negotiate for more? Reading Arab Nursing Blog it says "To never and I repeat never accept the first offer". So what should I do? They matched my gross pay and gave a little more. "Fully furnished accommodation will be provided for yourself and eligible dependents in accordance with Policies and Procedures". Does this mean a compound? Is that a normal thing on your contract to be written like that? Anybody have experience with Sidra's housing? Should I ask for a monetary sum on the housing?

Thanks Emnz...hopefully we won't have to wait another year...it has been a 10mth process for me thus far!!!!! Hi, Though Sidra will open on March 2016 but they will start boarding people 3-6 months prior. The opening date was pushed back a lot of times. Hopefully the delayed opening was because that the hospital still need to be finished and not because Sidra has not come up with enough staff. Though I accepted the offer but still having ambivalent feeling- leaving a stable job versus working in a new one. But life is boring without an adventure (LOL), so I'm willing to take the risk.

I am in the same boat as you PetkoNZ. I have heard the rumours about the extended opening time but I have also had two friend who are RN's who have been told that they want to uplift them from NZ as soon as possible. So who really knows. Thanks Emnz...hopefully we won't have to wait another year...it has been a 10mth process for me thus far!!!!!

I am in the same boat as you PetkoNZ. I have heard the rumours about the extended opening time but I have also had two friend who are RN's who have been told that they want to uplift them from NZ as soon as possible. So who really knows.

Hmmmm....I signed my contract back at the end of September 2014 and have not heard anything, but the rumours from a friend working in Saudi who informed me on this week that Sidra won't be opening until 2016 as well! I wonder what that means for those who have signed their contracts. Anyone else in this boat too?????

Just wondering for those of you who have dates for relocation in the new year, what positions you have. The recent information that I have heard through a friend is that Sidra will not be opening until the first quarter of 2016 and relocation for RN's will not take place for another year. I just wondered if anyone had heard anything different. Thanks :) Hi, I'm new to this site. Your friend is right about the "new" opening date of Sidra. I am an applicant at Sidra and just got my offer this December. I was told though that Sidra will no longer open this March 2015 but instead on March 2016. :(