The OCHS was established as a University College by integrating the former Ministry of Health Education Institutions (MoHEIs) by Royal Decree 18/2018 dated 06/06/2018 along with its sister institution called Higher Institute of Health Specialties (HIHS). MoHEIs were earlier supervised by the Directorate General of Human Resources Development (DGHRD). The need for such integration was identified in the early years of the last decade, but it was gradually implemented in a phased manner. The MoHEIs were originally established to provide health sciences education, and training. They were subsequently expanded as a network of institutions to promote accessibility to such education and training across the nation, and in response to the need for Omanisation of healthcare workforce as well as to meet the human resource requirements of the local health sector. Due to rapid advances in the disciplines of medicine, nursing and allied health sciences, the curricula and programs were upgraded by phasing out the two-year diploma programs in 2013 and introducing the four-year bachelor’s degree programs along with the advanced three-year diploma programs. This upgradation was in line with the idea of integrating the MoHEIs into one university College to meet the needs of the future. OCHS operates as an autonomous institution with its own governance, and management structure, and systems. The College has developed a Strategic Plan (SP) for the period 2021-2025 which focuses on a unified Mission, Vision, and Values (MVVs). The plan applies to all College entities and is closely aligned with Oman's vision 2040. A new organizational structure, and bylaws have been designed to ensure effective implementation. Functional autonomy of financial management is vested with the College Governance and Management subject to oversight by the Board of Trustees (BoT). Academic matters are under the supervision and guidance of the College Academic Board (AB). The Dean of OCHS reports to the Boards and has oversight of the College. Each branch is headed by an Associate Dean (AD) having oversight of academic programs at the OCHS branches. The branches have required operational autonomy. The main campus is located at Al Wattaya, in Muscat from where the Deanship, four academic program entities, Directorate of Quality (DQ), and other central administrative, finance, as well as support services operate. There are seven branches located across the length and breadth of Oman.

Previously student intake was determined by the MoH workforce needs and expectations, and this approach is currently in the process of modification. The College continues to serve the MoH by upskilling MoH employees. There are ambitious program portfolio expansion plans as graduates of the College are no longer dependent on the MoH for employment and are available to the wider market. Plans to start new programs such as a Bridging Program in Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, Medical Laboratory Science, and Nursing are at various stages of progress. Moreover, the OCHS academic staff are members of MoH committees and programs contributing to the development of the licensing of health professionals under the leadership of the Oman Medical Specialties Board (OMSB).

Since the implementation of the integrated College is under progress, efforts are underway to progressively standardise operations. All college entities are required to prepare their operational plans (OP) with reference to the SP 2021-2025, which was  implemented with effect from the Academic Year (AY) 2021-2022. Simultaneously, policy development, standardisation of institutional nomenclature and terminology, coding and indexing of documents, and capacity building initiatives are being carried out by the DQ. Benchmarking of GFP is in progress.

Structural entities such as the Joint Research, and Studies Committee (JRSC) have been established at the College level. Due to the COVID 19 pandemic, urgent efforts are being taken to enhance and expand technology resources.

Previously, the MoHEIs had their own Foundation Courses, particularly the Institute of Health Sciences (IHS), which had a full-fledged Foundation Program with Study Skills as an independent module. In 2011 in response to the evolving nationwide standardisation of the GFP, the MoHEIs established the GFP across all its institutes with the Muscat campus coordinating the program. At present GFP graduates are admitted to the undergraduate programs in Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Information Management, Physiotherapy, Medical Imaging, and Medical Laboratory Sciences offered by the OCHS. The GFP is a trimester program based upon three levels of English (Levels1-3), and two levels of Information Technology (IT) and Mathematics (Levels 1-2) for which level 1 commences along with level 2 English. The General Study Skills (GSS) is embedded in English, Mathematics, and IT components.

The GFP plays a crucial role in preparing young learners for higher professional education. A committed team of staff at the OCHS contributes effectively towards the transformation of students into active learners. A significant number of GFP staff hold English language teaching qualifications in addition to master’s and doctoral degrees.

The OCHS is still an evolving institution although its constituent entities have been independent educational institutions before amalgamation into a single higher health professional education institution. The main campus in Muscat oversees the College through the Deanship, while the branches operate with necessary functional autonomy under the guidance of the Associate Deans. Despite the various challenges (like COVID-19 pandemic), that arise and affect planned advancements, the College's commitment to progress has remains strong.

The Oman College of Health Sciences (OCHS) is inspired by His Majesty the Sultan Haitham bin Tariq and the national Mission and Vision 2040, initiated by the Late His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said. The College Mission, Vision, and Values reflect its commitment to promote ‘national talents’ by becoming a leading health professional education provider in the Gulf and Middle East regions.

​

The General Foundation Program at OCHS aims to prepare students for undergraduate studies in health professions leading to allied careers. It focuses on cultivating professionalism by enhancing students' ability to work independently and collaboratively, by providing clear and measurable indicators that facilitate a foundational understanding of their careers. It also aims to equip them with essential skills for independent and lifelong learning in healthcare practice. The program is designed to support learners to achieve essential skills and knowledge in four key areas: English, mathematics, computing, and general study skills, with the ultimate goal of improving their overall academic performance. The program aligns with the national requirements specified by Oman Academic Standards for GFP (OASGFP).

​

FND 101

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of the English FND101 Course, the learners will be able to:

In Listening

1.     listen, comprehend and answer simple questions by acquiring a variety of listening strategies such as listening for gist, specific information, making predictions and identifying main points,

2.     listen to lectures, stories, presentations, reports and radio show conversations to gather information and ideas to give a presentation,

3.     listen for specific information and make inferences,

4.     listen for key words, phrases, main ideas and details to complete notes in a T-chart or word web,

5.     mark important information in notes,

6.     listen and use an outline or Cornell method when taking notes,

7.     distinguish between words with similar meanings,

In Speaking

8.     produce the basic sounds of English with an awareness of the role of spelling in pronunciation,

9.     express themselves appropriately using simple English language functions, intonation and stress both inside and outside the classroom,

10.  respond appropriately to spoken English,

11.  gather information and ideas and prepare notes to participate in a presentation, group interview, storytelling, role-play and survey,

12.  ask for and give opinions, express agreement and disagreement politely and support ideas with examples and details,

In Reading

13.  skim for main ideas and scan for information,

14.  preview texts using a variety of strategies,

15.  recognize the writer’s purpose,

16.  read short/long passages/texts/general literature using a variety of reading strategies,

17.  locate information (topics, main ideas, details and pronoun referents) in a text,

18.  identify facts and opinions and pronoun referents,

19.  comprehend information in various types of texts/passages and answer questions,

In Writing

20.  write short and long answers,

21.  plan to organize ideas using outlines, idea maps, or timelines and generate ideas using visuals and T-charts,

22.  write various types of paragraph(s) (120 -150 words) using a topic sentence, supporting sentences and a concluding sentence,

23.  use appropriate connectors to convey ideas and show the sequence of events,

24.  write summaries and formal and informal letters,

25.  comprehend graded general literature and write short book reviews,

26.  recognise the benefits of collaborative writing and self/peer/teacher check,

In Grammar

27.  demonstrate general grammatical and communicative competence to “intermediate” standards,

28.  apply the basic grammatical rules in expressing ideas orally and in writing,

29.  use articles, nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, word families, collocations, compound nouns, synonyms and antonyms,

30.  use the present, past and future tenses (simple and continuous),

31.  use infinitives, gerunds, modals, pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions and clauses,

In English Vocabulary in Use & Medical Terminology

32.  use words, phrases and collocations in meaningful context,

33.  pronounce words (general and medical), phrases and collocations appropriately in real situations,

34.  demonstrate their comprehension of medical word building and illustrate their ability to use medical terms they learned,

35.  describe the basics of building, defining, and pronouncing medical terms,

36.  analyse the medical terms in the worksheets provided,

In Computer Assisted Language learning (CALL) & through Online Activities

37.  use technology to practice vocabulary, grammar, listening, reading and writing,

38.  use technology in searching for information and to practice listening, speaking, reading and writing skills,

39.  use technology for language acquisition,

In Introductory Units

40.  demonstrate the habit of independent learning,

41.  demonstrate an understanding about parts of a book, the library system, using catalogues to find books and referencing,

42.  use an English- English dictionary satisfactorily,

In Extensive Reading (Health)

43.  deduce meanings of new vocabulary through contextual clues and semantic variations, related to Health,

44.  demonstrate an ability to comprehend Health related passages by answering a variety of closed and open-ended comprehension questions,

In General Study Skills

45.  demonstrate the habit of independent learning and take personal responsibility in the learning process,

46.  work to imposed deadlines,

47.  demonstrate the ability to work in pairs and groups,

48.  maintain a portfolio, reflective journal and Vocabulary Log,

49.  abide by policies on attendance and punctuality show responsibility by following FP policies on attendance, punctuality, and meeting deadlines, respecting teachers and others,

50.  demonstrate the ability in revising one’s work and organizing and maintaining a system of recording,

In Critical Thinking

51.  express and restate ideas / reactions / opinions orally,

52.  categorize information to see similarities and differences,

53.  interpret a table or a graph,

54.  justify opinions and construct a timeline,

55.  relate information to personal experience,

56.  apply knowledge to complete new tasks,

57.  apply reflective thinking technique.

FND 102

Learning Outcomes:

On successful completion of the English FND102 Course, the learners will be able to:

In Listening: Audio / Video

1.     listen, comprehend and answer simple questions by acquiring a variety of listening strategies such as listening for causes and effects, time markers, signposts, examples, gist, specific information, identifying fact and opinion, identifying amounts, making inferences, making predictions and identifying main points,

2.     make inferences and predictions,

3.     develop listening and note-taking skills through topics that centre around short academic lectures drawn from a range of fields,

4.     identify fact and opinion, identify amounts,

5.     respond to questions about the topic, main ideas, details, opinions or arguments from short academic lectures,

6.     comprehend information from videos and respond to questions,

7.     listen to lectures, stories, presentations, reports and radio show conversations to gather information and ideas to give a presentation,

   In Speaking

8.     respond appropriately to spoken English as used in the classroom and in general environment,

9.     use basic forms of polite speech for different language functions,

10.  prepare and deliver a short talk/ presentation, by using different resources in preparing the talk using vocabulary from the unit,

11.  speak clearly, easily and confidently, 

12.  make eye contact,

13.  use appropriate body language to support the delivery of ideas,

14.  respond confidently to questions and giving clarifications,

15.  respond to general and critical thinking questions of different topics.

In Reading

16.  identify the main idea(s) and supporting details and extract specific information, preview

            texts on general topics, take notes,

17.  distinguish facts from opinion to know the importance of supporting details, scan texts for

better comprehension,

18.  use dictionary to identify word forms, understand words through the context, learn about synonyms, suffixes, collocations with nouns and collocation with adjectives and prepositions,

  In Writing 

19.  paraphrase sentences / paragraphs skilfully by paying attention to paragraph unity, coherence and cohesion and write paragraphs of about 150 words,    

20.  write well-formed and well-organized essays(opinion, analysis, cause & effect and argumentative) between 150-200 words in an appropriate format,

21.  show control of layout, organization, punctuation, spelling, sentence structure, grammar(real conditional, present & future sentences, placement of adjectives, parallel structure, compound sentences, gerunds & infinitives, complex sentences) and vocabulary,

22.  identify sentence fragments and correct them,

    In Grammar 

23.  apply basic grammatical structures in listening, speaking, reading and writing,

24.  demonstrate general grammatical competence to “intermediate” standard,

25.  differentiate Present Perfect, Present Perfect Continuous and Past Perfect tenses,

26.  use the different modals and conditionals properly,

27.  apply the Reported Speech and Passive rules appropriately in speech and writing,

    In Extensive Reading Articles

28.  recognize and demonstrate understanding of articles related to general science topics,

29.  learn to work independently through self-study,

    In SRA Research Lab & Medical Terms

30.  use basic research skills to do a research report,

31. demonstrate knowledge of referencing,

32.  demonstrate their comprehension of medical word building and illustrate their ability to use medical terms they learned,

33.  distinguish the basics of building, defining and pronouncing medical terms,

34.  analyse and synthesize the medical terms,

In Critical Thinking & through Online Activities:

35.  apply knowledge to complete new tasks,

36.  apply reflective thinking,

37.  express and restate ideas,

38.  categorise information, generate ideas, label examples, interpret a table or a graph, outline paragraphs and decide on best order,

39.  differentiate between topic sentence and supporting sentences,

40.  use judging skills to justify opinions and compare and contrast habits,

41.  use technology in searching for information and to  practice listening, speaking, reading and writing skills,

42.  use technology for language acquisition,

  In Study Skills

43.  develop the habit of working independently, 

44.  organize and maintain a portfolio of academic work done during a trimester,

45.  follow study schedule along with other responsibilities,

46.  maintain a reflective journal,

47.  use brain storming techniques to generate ideas for productive skills,

48.  independently access and use online materials and the Internet for language learning,

49.  extract relevant information from a book or article using a battery of reading strategies, skimming, scanning etc.,

50.  show responsibility by:

a.     following FP policies on attendance, punctuality, and meeting deadlines,

b.     respecting teachers and others and their rights to have a difference of opinion,

c.     continually revising one’s work,

d.     organizing and maintaining a system of recording vocabulary related to the course.

In Self-Study/assignment work

51.  develop the habit of working independently through self-study,

FND 103

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of the English FND103Course, the learners will be able to:

 In Listening

1.     listen and follow directions and gist of conversations,

2.     listen and complete forms or tables of data from commentaries or academic monologues,

3.     extract the main points and aspects of detail from narrative accounts while listening.

  In Speaking

4.     speak about some familiar topics or their own experience using appropriate linguistic

      features such as fillers, demonstrating fluency, and using appropriate grammatical and 

      lexical resources,

5.     speak for not less than a minute on a topic of interest in an organized manner recounting 

      their experience or expressing their opinions, hopes, intentions likes or dislikes,

      demonstrating good grammatical range and using appropriate cohesive devices,

6.     respond to abstract questions with appropriate forms of language in a fluent and  

      coherent manner expressing hypothetical thinking, opinions, speculations and/or  

      comparison & contrast.

In Reading

7.     detect main points of text,

8.      identify specific information,

9.     differentiate between True/ False/ Not given & Yes, No , Not given question types,

10.  complete a summary of a text.

In Writing

11.  produce a well-organized written work in about 250 words establishing a point of view or defending or opposing an opinion supported by facts or examples,

12.  write a well-organized description of tables, graphs, or charts in about 150 words,

13.  describe processes using the appropriate vocabulary.

In Medical Terms

14.  demonstrate the ability to use medical terms they learned from the five units of the course,

15.   describe the basics of building, defining, and pronouncing medical terms,

16.  synthesize the medical terms in the worksheets provided for them,

17.  define terms related to major body systems.

In Seminar

18.  participate in seminars and develop independent thinking skills leading to a clear discrimination between facts and opinions and practise using their own knowledge to develop and defend their arguments, communicating clearly and effectively and learning through teamwork.

      In Extensive Reading (health & general)

19.  develop general vocabulary using context clues and semantic variations,

20.  show improved reading rates (by encouraging rapid, yet effective reading),

21.  infer vocabulary related to the field of Primary Health Care,

22.  demonstrate the ability to comprehend one or two-page Primary Health Care passages at native speaker level, by answering a variety of closed and open-ended comprehension questions.

     In Mini-Research (MR) Project

23.  formulate a hypothesis or research question,

24.  analyse data formulate a conclusion and provide a recommendation to complete a research paper of length from 1200 to 1500 words,

25.  employ correct citation format using Harvard Referencing System,

26.  showcase the skill of independent learning through time management and meeting deadlines.

In Poster

27.  prepare a poster following the lay out conventions.

In Study Skills

28.  maintain the reflections on one’s learning in a journal,

29.  maintain a system of recording vocabulary by keeping a vocabulary log,

30.  maintain an e-portfolio of one’s work,

31.  use an English-English dictionary for language learning,

32.  demonstrate an understanding of using a library system, an English – English dictionary and parts of a book and extract relevant information from a book or article using a battery of reading strategies, skimming, scanning etc.,

33.  develop the habit of working independently, 

34.  follow study schedule along with other responsibilities,

35.  show responsibility by:

e.     following FP policies on attendance, punctuality, and meeting deadlines,

f.      respecting teachers and others and their rights to have a difference of opinion,

g.     continually revising one’s work,

h.     organizing and maintaining a system of recording vocabulary related to the course.

​

.