Educational tour to Maastricht University

We continue our business trip to Maastricht University with our partners and educators.

We chose this institution for a reason: the history of Maastricht University began with medical education, as the Faculty of Medicine was founded here in 1974.

The university is ranked 36th in the European University Ranking, 19th in the world’s top 50 under 50, and is also among the top 10 medical schools in the EU https://bit.ly/3PoMbeJ.

However, the ranking was not the most valuable for our trip.

We visited the university to get a better understanding of

• how the university development strategy is implemented at all levels;
• how the team of educators is united by common values and vision of the educational process;
• how the educational process is structured;
• how the university promotes self-directed learning of students.

Our educational trip began with a meeting with Pamela Habibovich, Rector of Maastricht University. She greeted our participants and told us about the structure and principles of the university’s educational process.

Professor Helen Mertens, Head of the Medical Centre of the University Hospital, and her colleague spoke about the format of synergy between a private hospital and a university, namely the organization of medical, educational, and research work.

All hospitals in the Netherlands are private and regulated by the Ministry of Health. Interestingly, medical universities are autonomous, but the Ministry of Education governs the educational process in undergraduate medical education. The Ministry of Health regulates postgraduate medical education and continuous professional development of doctors. We also saw the hospital – a multidisciplinary and regional hospital providing emergency and specialized care throughout the region.

Professor Sylvia Evers told us about the research life of the university. Are you ready for some numbers? Four thousand five hundred twenty articles were published by Maastricht University staff in international journals last year.

Indeed, research is an integral part of the work of every educator! Research results are implemented in the hospital’s work, publications on public health, and the educational process. The university structure looks like a matrix because research and educational activities permeate all the processes in which the research teachers are involved.

And, of course, the Skill lab. Maastricht University impresses with its barrier-free approach! It is not only about inclusiveness but also about caring for every student. Students’ first visit to Skill Labs is an introductory one, followed by small manipulations and training on basic mannequins. Just imagine, training in Skill Labs begins in the first year of study! The picture of the normal anatomy and physiology of organs and systems must match the student’s ability to examine these parts of the body, organs, or systems. If students lack confidence, they write to their skill coach and receive additional training.

Professor Wim Groot, to whom we are immensely grateful for organizing this study tour, spoke in detail about the Netherlands’ healthcare and medical education system, as well as how many scholarships are funded by the government – approximately three thousand annually in the first year.

We will share more interesting facts from the educational trip to Maastricht University soon.

Photo: Taras Bezpalyi