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A clinical rotation in Ireland enriches you as a person and as a future doctor

Jip Bremer has just returned from a 5-week stay in Ireland, where she completed her clinical rotation Psychiatry in the town of Mullingar, an hour’s train ride from Dublin. “An incredibly fun and educational experience,” she says enthusiastically. “Although Ireland is a European country, the healthcare system is very different from what we are used to in the Netherlands. The biggest culture shock: they still work with paper records!”

Medical students from Maastricht have had the opportunity to do a clinical rotation in Ireland since March 2025. Jeroen Reijnders, surgeon (non-practicing), coordinator of the surgical clinical placement and co-initiator of the Irish rotation: “The collaboration with Ireland was originally set up for students from Saudi Arabia. When this intake stopped a few years ago we decided not to end the collaboration but to continue it on a structural basis for Maastricht students.”

That sounds simpler than it is. “Healthcare in Ireland is organised very differently. That is why we collaborate with individual medical specialists, known as consultants, in various hospitals. This makes communication and organisation more complex. Currently, four hospitals and a psychiatric centre are participating. We manage the content of the clinical rotations from Maastricht, while the consultants ensure sufficient places. A new student can start every two weeks. This means there are always several Maastricht students in Mullingar at the same time, potentially about five, although we have not yet reached that number.”

Differences from the Netherlands

For Jip, Ireland was her second clinical rotation abroad. “I’ve been to Ghana before, and there I expected quite significant differences compared to the Dutch healthcare system. I hadn’t expected this would also apply to Ireland. The lack of electronic patient records was certainly not the only difference. The work pace is slower there, for example. In the Netherlands, everyone is constantly planning and thinking ahead; in Ireland, things are much more relaxed. Everyone is more flexible, and this provides a bit more peace and balance. Something else I noticed is that the private healthcare sector in Ireland is highly developed, meaning that access to care is somewhat determined by how deep your pockets are.”

Jip Bremer

Need for autonomy

The organisation of education and the role of medical students also differ. Jip explains: “Irish medical students spend a larger part of their time on education and exams, whereas Dutch students are strongly focused on learning in clinical practice and have a greater need for autonomy.” This sometimes led to searching for the right balance. “I discussed this with my supervisor, and it was handled well.” Jeroen: “What exactly is the role of the Dutch medical student and how much responsibility can they handle (medical procedures, independence)? We're still figuring this out. Both sides are learning from each other in this regard.”

Complex organisation

Behind the collaboration with Ireland lies a complex organisation, something Doreen de Loo and Vince Di Giulio, International Relations Officers, can attest to. Doreen: “The International Relations Office (IRO) is the link between the students, Maastricht, and the hospitals in Ireland. We handle applications, maintain contact with Ireland, provide practical information, and guide students in their preparation.”

“In addition, we need to ensure that systems such as portfolios and assessments are aligned,” Vince adds. “There is also ICT access that needs to be arranged and the clinical placement schedule that needs to be accurate. This requires coordination on many levels; from the IRO and clinical placement coordinators to planning and the Board of Examiners. It is precisely this multitude of links that makes the collaboration complex to organise, but it is also what makes it so rewarding when everything comes together.”

Student feedback

“Because the collaboration is still relatively new, we sometimes encounter things that have not yet been fully worked out.” says Doreen. “For example, because their clinical placement schedule was labelled as ‘final,’ students thought that everything had already been decided and that Ireland was no longer an option. For us, this was a sign to sit down and adjust the process.”

Vince: “We are discovering what works and what doesn’t along the way. Communication lines are short, and we receive valuable feedback from the students on matters such as planning, communication, or accommodation.” For instance, Jip reported that her first host was not pleasant, which forced her to look for another place. “I am now in discussions with IRO to better support future clinical rotation students, for example by providing an overview of reliable addresses and creating a WhatsApp group where students can share experiences.”

An enriching experience

Jip looks back on a wonderful time. “The atmosphere at work was open and welcoming; colleagues immediately made me feel at home and invited me to join them at the pub, where they had live music and a pub quiz every week. I quickly felt part of the team. In addition, I started exercising and reached out to other students from Maastricht via a WhatsApp group. Overall, I felt at home very quickly.”

For Jip, the main value of a rotation abroad lies in getting acquainted with a different healthcare system and a different way of working. “It is enriching,” she says. “You learn to adapt and develop a broader perspective.”

Expanding the collaboration

According to Jeroen, that is precisely where the added value lies. “International experience absolutely contributes to the professional and personal development of future doctors.”

The ambition is to further expand the collaboration in the coming years. The aim is to eventually establish a continuous presence of Maastricht students in Ireland and to expand the offer with, for example, scientific internships and perhaps even the HELP as the final rotation. In this way, Ireland can develop into a permanent international training location where Maastricht students get the opportunity to gain work and life experience.

Are you interested in doing a clinical rotation in Ireland? Would you like to register or do you have questions? In that case, please contact IRO via ASKFHML or sign up for the daily consultation hour (11:00-12:00) via Contact with the Education Affairs department of the FHML | Maastricht University intranet

Text: Margo van Vlierden
Photography: Jonathan Vos

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