HEALTH CARE SCIENCES
Health Care Sciences Student
"Policy and management in health care. That is how I, Jessica Petter, second-year Health Care Sciences student describe my studies. My choice of programme had to meet a couple of conditions. It had to have something to do with health care, but not to lead to a 'white doctors or nurse costume'. I also wanted to do something for the improvement of health care. The longer I am in this programme, the more I realise how well it suits me." Health care science is comprised of studies in various disciplines and the completion of two projects per academic year. The disciplines are multi-faceted and view health care from different perspectives (for example, chronic infections, IT applications in organisations, construction and the functioning of cells in management, accounting and control). Through project work students become really involved in the adjustment and innovations in care (and related processes). "My social network has broadened a lot in Enschede. This is partly due to my membership in the VGST (Union of Reformed Students in Twente). Future opportunities? There certainly are quite a few, but for now I am keeping all of my options open. That that is even possible is because of the many-sided character of the programme."
Education Director of Health Care Sciences
Health Care Sciences at the University of Twente
(03:38 minutes, double-click to enlarge video)
Health Care Sciences Graduate
Marjolein Hilgerink works at the Twente Medical Spectrum (MST) and is studying to be a general clinical physicist. Clinical physics is a discipline in which physics methodologies are applied in health care contexts. Applications associated with clinical physics include: radiation hygiene, safety management, and risk analysis, to name only a few. In December 2009, Marjolien finished her Master's in Health Sciences." My final project was comprised of research about different imaging methods for breast cancer diagnostics. A new method has recently been developed in which tumours can be visualised using photo-acoustics. This approach is in an early stage of development; five patients have had this treatment and the results are very promising. A clinical trial will start soon at the MST to learn more about the performance of this technique. Results will be taken forward for use in the development of a new version of the Twente Photoacoustic Mammoscope (PAM). In her Master's of Health Sciences Marjolein was looking for a combination of medical ethics, management in a hospital setting, and organisation and legislation in health care; it's a combination that Marjolien is involved in every day.
New Curriculum for Health Care Sciences
At least forty per cent more first-year students chose for Health Care Sciences in the 2009-2010 academic year. Job van der Palen suspects that this had everything to do with the programme's new content. The new professor and Coordinator of Scientific Research at the Twente Medical Spectrum has been a member of the Curriculum Commission for several years. "We considered it important that employers saw more value in our students. But the first goal was: making the programme more attractive for students. In the end, we chose to put a stronger accent on the epidemiological and biomedical disciplines. It fits well with the health care profile of the University. At the same time, there was no less attention given to the management disciplines. Our students learn to bridge the gap between modernising technologies and their application in everyday practice. There are few researchers who can write a business case. The future generation of health care scientists from Twente will be able to translate scientific insights into practical and progressive policy choices."
http://www.bachelor.utwente.nl/gzw/studeren/