Sofie van Straalen, 26 years
2nd year PBH and Medical Doctor without specialization
My motivation to combine Medicine and PBH was only strengthened during the lockdown. Because my round of choice (keuzecoschap) was postponed until further notice, I was forced with many others to do something different than the expected order of bachelor-rounds-ANIOS-AIOS. This was no problem for me, as it was the last push to decide to do PBH, which I thought about before. During my Medicine master I mostly learned to think about medicine-related things and discuss them, but the PBH courses resulted in a broader vision for me on people and society. And this was exactly what I was looking for. Logistically it was beneficial that I was still enrolled in my Medicine program, although I had already finished my regular rounds – and I could avoid paying extra tuition fees for a second master.
Due to the relatively flexible planning of the PBH courses, I was able to finish my two rounds of choice during PBH. One of them was medicine for general practitioners, which I did in an “empty” month during the first PBH; the other one I did part-time at psychiatry, which was well possible in good consultation. I would discourage to combine PBH together with the regular program of the rounds, so during the first two years. The compulsory attendance, long days and the possibility to have rounds at different locations, made it not feasible in my view. Moreover, it is a shame if you could not prepare your readings not well enough for PBH.
What did work out for me, was combining studying and working as ANIOS in elderly care. This could of course be somewhere else as well, as long as there is some flexibility and understanding – that’s why working in a hospital seems to be a less preferable option. With a part-time contract with the possibility to switch some days now and then, it turned out to be the perfect combination for me. Especially the practical experiences of working and the interesting cases I could bring to the lectures and tutorials, made the PBH courses even more interesting and relevant. However, balance is key; now I am trying to write my PBH thesis, the combination with working is a bit too intensive. That’s why I stopped for now to focus on completing my studies, and that is also fine.
