International Health Studies for Foreign Students – 2024/2025

Course IHS-1-15 International Health Studies for Foreign Students

Entry Requirements

The student must be a legal student of a HU-partner university. The course is offered in the English language only. Students are required to write a motivational letter in order to determine if they can take part in the course. All assignments have to be carried out in the English language. Therefore students should be able to write and speak English quiet fluently.

Registering is only possible after consultation with the course director:  Edwin Hagenbeek.

Studentprofile

Students of all partner universities of the HU can apply for a place in this course. There must be a connection to health care or social work.

Course description

In basic this course is for Utrecht Health Care student who will be prepared for a intenship placement abroad. This means that foreign students, participating in this course, will have the same lectures and workshops as Dutch students.
The course is built on 6 weeks theoretical period (in Utrecht), a 6 till 10 weeks internship period (in the Netherlands).
For foreign students we are able to offer a 15 EC course of 10 weeks. Consisting of ; 6 weeks theory and 3 weeks internship placement. We will take care of internship placement/project in the Netherlands.
We can enlarge this 15 EC-course to 13 weeks, in case of an Erasmus-scholarship when necessary. Consisting of: 6 weeks theory and 6 weeks internshipplacement, and 1 week theory. We will take care of an internship placement in the Netherlands.
When students are able to find an internship/traineeship/project place themselves (this also can be abroad but not in the home country), we can discuss about applying for the 30 ECTS minor. Due to difficulties in offering internship placement in the Netherlands we are hardly able to offer a 10 week internshipplacement. This 30 EC course concist of : 6 weeks theory (in Utrecht), 10 weeks internship placement en 4 week theory (in Utrecht).
The main objective of this minor is to develop intercultural awareness and understanding of the fact that living conditions and view on health influences the development of health care within a society.
Possibilities for developing an international network and improvement of the capability of intercultural communication are important cornerstones of the program. Gaining knowledge about how the original culture may influence communication and interaction between health care providers and their clientele are also at the centre of learning.
In collaboration with the IHS team students actively look for internship possibilities themselves. All internship places will be screened. The different departments of the Institute of Nursing Studies determine if a place for internship is acceptable or not. Students must have an internship place at the start of the minor. The minor is offered in a block structure. All students of the Health Care are welcome. Students studying a Health Care related topic at other Universities of applied sciences (national and international) are also welcome to join, but we kindly request to contact the coordinator before applying. The minor will be offered twice a year. Block A/B starts at the end of August, block C/D at the end of January.
Lessons will take place during the week from Monday till Friday. The internship/project/ traineeship/experience abroad will last 2 weeks at least. All students are required to inform their mentor and to inform the Coordinator Internationalization of their home University of their intention to take part in this minor.

Content of projects

The minor aims for developing awareness and understanding of the fact that different living conditions and views on health in different parts of the world influence the development of society, health and the population. Possibilities for developing an international network and improvement of the capability of intercultural communication are important cornerstones of the program. Gaining knowledge about how the original culture may influence communication and interaction between health care providers and their clientele are also at the centre of learning. The desired internal outcome should be proved by showing some intercultural competences like:

• Cultural Empathy
• Emotional Stability
• Flexibility.

The desired external outcome that needs to be shown is:
Social initiative meaning the capability to effectively and appropriate communicate and behave in an intercultural situation.

Value education consist of developing students attitudes, meaning:
Open mindedness as in respect to valuing other cultures, openness, withholding judgment, curiosity and discovery and tolerating ambiguity (ethno relative view).

Knowledge and comprehension as in cultural self awareness, cultural knowledge and sociolinguistic awareness are shown through the internship during which students need to be able to listen, observe, evaluate, analyze and interpret. Students built a portfolio with evidence of learning. This will help students to focus on their personal development. In the portfolio evidence of the development of professional tasks and professional services is required. The three areas of Health Care: Health Care Services, working in Health Care Centre’s and Professional Development, need to be addressed. 15 credits can be earned for both parts of the minor, one part will consist of preparation for going abroad the other 15 credits are earned during the internship/traineeship/project/experience.

COVID PANDEMIC 

Since 2019 the world change a lot. The COVID pandemic made international experience even more challenging than before. This have had its impact on the minor International Health Studies. We like to receive international students but we are dependent of hospitals and the possibilities concerning internshipplacement. This makes that we offer a ‘’at home’’ progamme when it is not possible to offer internshipplacemens due to all kind of cirucumstances.