Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences, the BARMER health insurance fund, St Clemens Hospital in Geldern, the pro homine hospitals and care homes in Wesel-Emmerich/Rees, and the Catholic Karl Leisner Clinic in Kleve, Kevelaer, Goch and Kalkar have signed a cooperation agreement.
The aim of the “Experience in Healthcare” partnership is to enable interested students to gain particularly hands-on practical experience with organisations in the regional healthcare sector at an early stage of their studies. To this end, Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences, BARMER, St Clemens Hospital in Geldern, the pro homine hospitals and care homes in Wesel-Emmerich/Rees, and the Catholic Karl Leisner Clinic in Kleve, Kevelaer, Goch and Kalkar have signed an agreement to this effect. The university’s four partner organisations are among the largest employers in the regional healthcare sector.
The four organisations and the university have already collaborated on various occasions in the past. The aim now is to expand this partnership. The focus is particularly on networking and practice-oriented collaboration between students and the partner organisations in the healthcare sector. Students are to be given the opportunity to familiarise themselves with fields of work and entry-level opportunities at the partner organisations. The partnership aims to promote practical career guidance within academic education and to highlight career prospects. For the partners, the collaboration enables them to participate in academic development and gain creative input for their business initiatives. Furthermore, they get to know committed and interested students and can inform them about opportunities for entering the sector and further career development.
The collaboration is based on the ‘Experience in Healthcare’ programme, for which students can apply. The partner organisations provide participating students with practical insights in the form of regular excursions and lecture evenings. In the fourth semester, students undertake a practice-oriented project and can complete a work placement semester at one of the partner organisations in the sixth semester. The programme was initiated by Professor Dr Frank Schmitz, Professor of Business Administration at the Faculty of Life Sciences, who will also be responsible for its ongoing supervision.
“This offers students an excellent opportunity to familiarise themselves with the diverse fields of work in the healthcare sector and, consequently, the options available to them for their future careers. At the same time, they can discover the significance and limitations of their academic training in a professional context,” says Dr Oliver Locker-Grütjen, President of Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences, summarising the benefits for students. And Carsten Meteling, Regional Managing Director of BARMER in Kleve, explains: “The healthcare sector, in particular, needs qualified young talent in these times of digitalisation and a shortage of skilled workers. Through our collaborative project, we are giving students practical insight into statutory health insurance. We also want to work with them to develop new ideas for digital health management.”
