Two nurses from Oman in Middle East visi...

Two nurses from Oman in Middle East visi...

Barbara Nitzberg/Calvary Hospital

Dr. Gail Chrzaqnowski with Omani nurses, Sumaiya Al Toobi (left) and

Nurses Saada Al Sinawi and Sumaiya Al Toobi have traveled more than 14,000 miles from home on a very special mission.

The women are from the Sultanate of Oman, in the Middle East. And for the last month, theyve been studying at Calvary Hospitals Palliative Care Institute, where they are learning how to address the medical, psychological and mental needs of advanced cancer care patients and their families.

It is really amazing what they are doing here, said Al Toobi, 25.

Both women are nurses at the National Oncology Center at Royal Hospital in the capital city of Muscat.

Back home, their hectic schedules rarely leave them time to focus on the patients or familys well-being. And theres very little in the way of support services.

It is a big challenge, said Al Sinawi, 24. You want to give them more.

The Omani nurses have been shadowing Calvarys doctors and staff nurses, sat in on bereavement groups with social workers, and visited the hospice.

For Al Toobi, it was the relationship between doctors and patients that stood out.

They are so close, she said. Its not just the medical. It is amazing to see.

Al Sinawi agreed.

I have never seen a doctor hug a patient except here, she said.

They came to Calvary indirectly through the Middle Eastern Cancer Cons ortium, a program started by the Clinton Administration that brings together health professionals from six Middle Eastern countries to address growing cancer concerns in the region.

Last year, while on a U.S. State Department-sponsored trip, a doctor from Royal Hospital visited Calvary Hospital. She recommended Al Toobi and Al Sinawi study palliative care there.

When visitors come here, we try to give them hands on time with all the different disciplines. Very little is taught in lectures, said Dr. Robert Brescia, who heads the Institute, the hospitals research and teaching arm. We want them to experience everything that the hospital does.

For Al Sinawi, visiting the bereavement groups for elderly parents who lost a child was emotional but eye-opening.

It was very painful to see how they were still remembering their children, she said. But it was great to see how (the staff) deals with families.

The Omani nurses will remain at Calvary for another week. When they return home, they will give detailed presentations on what theyve learned.

Their hospital is planning an expansion, and the medical staff is eager to make changes in its own palliative care policies.

What we have learned at Calvary is really great, Al Sinawi said. I hope we are going to make a difference in our country.

tsamuels@nydailynews.com