Last week, the two-hundredth Technical Medicine student graduated from the University of Twente. What started in 2003 with two words on paper – 'Technical' and 'Medicine' – has now developed, in 2015, to become a full-fledged discipline. The demand for trainees exceeds the supply, the medical community has passionately embraced the Technical Physicians and the professional perspectives of the graduates are more than good. Since 2014, the government has recognized the competencies of the profession, by means of its addition to the Healthcare Professionals Act ('wet BIG'), and graduates are authorized to independently treat patients.
In 2003, the University of Twente started the Technical Medicine degree programme. The idea behind the study is that the advance of technology in the healthcare field requires professionals who are able to deploy in-depth knowledge of technology and medicine for the improvement of patient care. The degree programme was initially received with some scepticism, but this has gradually turned into enthusiasm.
The Technical Physicians have now proven their worth in practice and there is considerable demand for graduates. The lion's share of graduates has paid high-quality employment within months and the University of Twente has for some time been unable to meet the demand for trainees. There is more demand than there are students. The job prospects for existing students, or those still wanting to start, are very good. According to Heleen Miedema, degree programme director, this is because the Netherlands will eventually need thousands of Technical Physicians. "As with all good ideas, such as the smartphone, you see that supply creates demand. When the degree programme was established, many wondered whether the Technical Physicians would really solve the problems with respect to the use of technology in healthcare. The first batches of Technical Physicians have proven themselves in practice and many parties have since then been converted." The most important success factor according to Miedema is the quality of students and alumni. "I have great respect for them."
Since the government recognized the competencies of the profession, by means of its addition to the Healthcare Professionals Act, graduates are authorized to independently treat patients. As a result, Technical Physicians can also actually independently deploy in practice the technology they develop or improve.
Various positions
The first Technical Physicians graduated in 2009, and the first Technical Medicine doctoral degree defense already took place in 2011. You now see the alumni in many different positions in the field of healthcare, science and business. Seventy-five percent work in top clinical and teaching hospitals (86 percent of whom in a university hospital). Miedema: "For example, when I am at the Amsterdam Academic Medical Center (AMC), I often have the feeling that I am attending a reunion." Approximately 65 percent of the alumni are following, or have followed, a PhD programme. There are now six clinical Technical Medicine fellows working in the Netherlands, Technical Physicians who are proficient in the use of new and existing technology to optimize or update diagnostic or therapeutic processes. Miedema expects that one of her Technical Physicians will reach the level of professor within a decade.
Prof.Dr. G.P. Vooijs Award
Five years ago, degree programme alumni established a professional trade association: the Netherlands Association for Technical Medicine (NVvTG), which among other things represents the interests of the profession, guarantees the quality of medical activities and promotes the sharing of knowledge. Last Friday, the Association organized its fifth annual conference. During this conference, the Prof.Dr. G.P. Vooijs Award was presented for the third time. This award - named after Professor Peter Vooijs, who as medical director laid the foundation for the professional development of the Technical Physicians in practice - is intended for the most clinically relevant graduation research of the past year. The award went to Merel Boers who performed research at the AMC into quantifying the amount of blood that is released in the skull in the case of a brain haemorrhage. She developed and implemented a new fully automatic method of analysis that can determine the amount of blood, the location of the blood and the concentration of the blood. With these data the Technical Physician can, for example, make better diagnoses and assess the risk of complications.
Two-hundredth graduate
Last week, Roland Eijgelaar obtained his master's degree. He thus became the two-hundredth degree programme graduate. Eijgelaar worked on a method to create 3D images of the liver using MRI scans. These images can be used to better prepare for a liver operation and, if necessary, to modify the treatment plan during an operation, and thus improve the quality of the surgery.
