Preparing students optimally for complex health issues
How do we optimally prepare students for the complex health issues of the future? That was the guiding principle behind the complete overhaul of the bachelor’s programme in Health Sciences. Health issues are becoming increasingly complex, requiring professionals who can view health from different perspectives and integrate knowledge from various disciplines.
Jascha de Nooijer, Professor of Interprofessional Teaching and Learning: “It is precisely this holistic perspective that students learn to develop in the renewed bachelor’s programme.” Heat stress is a prime example of an issue that requires such a broad approach. On a scorching summer day, one person might retreat to a cool, air-conditioned home or a shady garden, while another has to endure the heat in a poorly insulated house located in a built-up neighbourhood with little shade. “Neighbourhood design, income and social circumstances all help determine a person’s vulnerability to heat, as well as which solutions actually work.”
The revision aligns with both the changing landscape of the health sector and the way students want to learn. Jill Whittingham, programme coordinator: “The health sector is rapidly evolving, demanding new knowledge and skills. With this new bachelor’s programme, we aim to better prepare our students for the complex health challenges of the future. We are also responding to students' desire for a different way of learning: more active, practice-oriented and interdisciplinary.”
Three themes and three perspectives
The new curriculum is structured around three societal themes from the RIVM’s Public Health Foresight Study: Healthy Generations, Healthy Living in a Changing Environment and Healthcare and Society Under Pressure. Health Promotion lecturer Daniëlle Zijlstra explains: “Each theme is explored from three perspectives: biology, behaviour and environment. For the theme Healthy Living in a Changing Environment, for instance, students investigate the physiological effects of heat stress, how people can adjust their behaviour to reduce health risks, and how policy and the design of the living environment, such as greening neighbourhoods or creating shaded areas, can contribute to a healthier society.”
Healthy Generations
De Nooijer provides an example from the ‘Healthy Generations’ theme. “Here students examine, for example, the impact of sleep, stress and lifestyle on the physical and mental health of young people and people over fifty as well as the roles played by social pressure, motivation and resilience. At the same time, they look at environmental influences, such as school policies, upbringing and socioeconomic differences. In doing so, students learn that an intervention or policy recommendation is only truly effective when biological, behavioural, and societal factors are considered together.”
Leveraging each other's expertise
Whittingham: “A consequence of this approach is that we have moved away from the traditional specialisation structure. While students do choose a focus area in their second year, they continue to collaborate with peers who approach the same issue from different focus areas. By constantly linking these three perspectives, students develop a broad view of complex health issues.” "This aligns much better with professional practice," adds Zijlstra. "Health problems cannot be neatly divided into separate disciplines. Professionals need to learn how to collaborate and leverage each other's expertise."
The new curriculum is structured around three societal themes from the RIVM’s Public Health Foresight Study: Healthy Generations, Healthy Living in a Changing Environment and Healthcare and Society Under Pressure.
Core competencies
In addition to theoretical knowledge, students learn to analyse health issues, conduct research, collaborate and communicate clearly. This allows them to develop into professionals capable of responding to societal and technological changes. To achieve this, students work on practice-oriented projects from their first year onwards. Initially, they tackle relatively straightforward issues; later in their studies, they address complex problems in collaboration with organisations in the health sector. This allows them to bridge the gap between theory and practice and experience first-hand how complex health issues require collaboration in real-world settings.
Health scientists of the future
An intensive process preceded the renewal. Over the course of several years, a core team worked alongside teachers, students and alumni to develop the new programme. Jill reflects: “The teachers worked hard to build a new degree programme. We are convinced that we have created a programme that aligns well with today’s challenges, prepares our students for the job market and produces the health scientists society needs.”