"I loved learning more about the things that have always fascinated me: factors that influence our health. I chose courses on infectious diseases and nutrition. In the master you learn from top researchers and scientist in their field. They share their knowledge and enthusiasm. We learned about nutrition and its effect on health, micro-organisms and their ability to evade our immune response and cause disease, strategies to contain the spread of disease and prevent transmission. I really enjoyed learning to do research on health-related issues, and critically appraise research of others."
"Graduating was my personal highlight. It wasn’t always easy to combine the care of two small children with a full-time Health Sciences Master. But in the end, the thrill of learning more about health sciences and completing the courses and achieving my goal made it all worthwhile."
"Now, I am an Infection Control Expert and this function is all about the prevention and control of infectious disease outbreaks in a hospital setting. Hospital-acquired infections are a real threat to patients with already suboptimal health. As an Infection Control Expert I recommend, implement and monitor policies and procedures for hospital staff regarding screening and isolation of infectious patients, the use of personal protective equipment when attending to patients with a (potential) infectious disease, as well as sterilization and disinfection of instruments and equipment. We collect and analyze hospital records and lab reports to assess the extent of a disease outbreak and recommend actions to contain the spread. We educate hospital staff on infection control measures."
"What makes this job so great is the versality of the work, and of course the hospital setting. Not a day is the same. New challenges arise all the time. With the biggest of all: the COVID-outbreak. In that regard, I hit the jackpot! Being able to contribute on this level, that is why I studied Health Sciences."
"My tip for future Health Sciences students: Soak up the knowledge and experience of the professors and researchers that come to the VU to lecture. If you’re interested in working in a certain field, reach out to the lecturers and enquire about a research internship. Many will want to help. Don’t be afraid to use them as stepping stones."
