Thinkers for a healthy planet

A discussion about the relatively new Clinical Sciences programme with Freek Hoebeek, head of the programme, and three students: Louise Stiphout, Nima Javanjoo and Rumi Renckens. Clinical Sciences is a small-scale, interdisciplinary bachelor’s programme at the intersection of Veterinary Medicine, Pharmacy and Medicine. 

The course is interdisciplinary. What is the advantage of that?

Freek: “Major challenges, such as the coronavirus pandemic, cannot be solved by a single discipline alone. When you bring together multiple disciplines, you often find that it takes a long time to understand another discipline or way of thinking. Our students learn this during their studies. Interdisciplinarity helps you develop a broad perspective.”

How do you find the interdisciplinary nature of the course?

Louise: “The course teaches me to look at clinical problems from different perspectives and encourages me to find solutions, whilst taking into account the differences between disciplines.”

Nima: “The course teaches us to combine different perspectives, which is very useful for the future. For example, we don’t just look at human health, but also draw on examples from the animal world.”

Rumi: “Our education isn’t just clinically focused, but also socially oriented. Lecturers give us the space to think freely and engage in discussion with one another. This helps me learn how best to empathise with others or deal with certain situations. That will be a valuable skill when I’m working in the field.”

You use a programme-based assessment approach. What does that involve?

Freek: “We do not use exams or give marks. Instead, we use a variety of methods to assess our students’ progress. These are known as ‘data points’. We combine subject knowledge with skills such as academic writing. Students are given a writing assignment, receive feedback, and then reflect on this. This gives students a much better grasp of and insight into their own development.”

And what do you think of programme-based assessment?

Nima: “In secondary school, it’s all about big exams. So it takes a bit of getting used to being assessed through continuous assessment. Now, though, I find it a pleasant way of being assessed. Your progress is measured at various points, which means I feel less stressed.” 

Louise: “I think this way of assessing is brilliant! At secondary school, I was all about grades. Now I compare myself less with others; you’ve either passed or you haven’t. And if you haven’t passed, you can catch up later. This system gives you the space to focus on your development throughout the whole year.”

They are trained in personal development.

What is a Step-back week and what do students do during such a week?

Freek: “Our programme consists of ten-week periods. You attend classes for eight weeks — more than in other programmes —, followed by a Step-back week, and the tenth week is free. Students call it the holiday week. It isn’t strictly a holiday week, but it is genuinely intended to help you recharge your batteries. The ninth week, the Stepback week, is a week in which we link the content of the teaching from the first eight weeks to the student’s personal development. For example, during the ‘Mental Health & Behaviour’ module, we visit the Dolhuis in Haarlem. That often triggers a lot of emotions in students. Then, during the Stepback week, they reflect together with the lecturer on: what does this mean for you, what have you learnt and how does it benefit you?”

What career options are available to students after completing the programme?

Freek: “Students can undertake SUMMA — a Master’s in Medicine for students from other backgrounds — or another bridging programme in Medicine, a Master’s in Veterinary Medicine, a Master’s in Pharmacy, or the interdisciplinary Master’s in Medical Humanities offered by the departments of Medicine and Humanities. They can also pursue a career in healthcare policy or management.” “What you see is that our students follow a different path to, for example, a Bachelor’s student in Medicine or Veterinary Medicine. If they go on to do a Master’s in Veterinary Medicine, that doesn’t necessarily mean they will become a vet. They may also choose to pursue a career in policy within that field. They are trained in self-development, so they also consider what suits them best.”

What do you plan to do once you’ve completed your bachelor’s degree?

Louise: “I want to do a Master’s degree at the Graduate School of Life Sciences. I’m not quite sure which one yet, but the research-oriented nature of these programmes really appeals to me.” Nima: “I want to do a Master’s in Veterinary Medicine, because I love animals and am fascinated by the technical side of healthcare. But I’m not ruling out Medicine either.” Rumi: “I think it’s important and necessary, as a healthcare professional, to have an understanding of the broad spectrum that medicine actually covers. That’s why I’ve chosen the bachelor’s degree Clinical Sciences first and want to do SUMMA afterwards to become a doctor.”

We often work together on this course. I found that difficult at first.

Did the course encounter any teething problems?

Freek: “Of course, we’re still experiencing some of those issues, as this is the first time we’re running the third year. Every curriculum has teething problems because you’re moving from the drawing board to a real-world situation. Clinical Sciences is certainly still evolving, and we actively involve our students in that process.” “One of the things we’re seeing in practice, for example, is that our students get used to programme-based assessment quite quickly, but that it’s actually harder for our lecturers to get used to. They also teach at their own faculties, where they simply assess students through exams.”

What do you find more difficult or less enjoyable about the course?

Louise: “We often work together on this course. I found that difficult at first. We do receive good support here, though, so things are going much better now. Lecturers step in quickly if they notice anything going wrong.” 
Rumi: “Although the curriculum is interdisciplinary, we have little contact with students of Medicine, Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy. Teaching takes place across the three faculties, but we only attend classes with other Clinical Sciences students. That is why there was a desire, both among the Clinical Sciences board and the students, for our own study association. I helped set it up. The study association is called ‘Tridens’, meaning ‘three-pronged’: referring to the three pillars of Clinical Sciences.”

Has the programme turned out as planned, and does the programme indeed contribute to Planetary Health?

Freek: “The programme has certainly turned out to be exactly what we expected and what we had envisaged. We train professionals in the health sector who do not merely ‘treat’ patients, but who also understand what health is. Who, for example, can focus on prevention or identify an underlying problem. And they do so with an interdisciplinary approach.” “In the third year, our students are presented with societal challenges. They must then find a solution to problems or issues within society. For example: ‘Animal shelters are overcrowded; what can be done about this?’ or ‘How can we ensure that premature babies can go home sooner?’ The Cartesius neighbourhood in Utrecht is currently being developed. The aim of this neighbourhood is for residents to live healthier lives for longer, but there is not yet a clear picture of the healthcare provision for that neighbourhood. Our students are now going to devise that.”