Vitality and sustainable employability of (future) health professionals

Healthcare systems can only function with healthy and resilient healthcare professionals. To optimize the vitality and sustainable employability of our (future) health care professionals, we focus on both the personal and professional development of (future) health care professionals in a diverse society - investigating pedagogical approaches to nurture reflection, personal leadership, professional identity, empathy, compassion, and resilience - and systemic factors within training and care institutions.

We predominantly conduct social-scientific research within the education continuum - trying to establish a meaningful academic dialogue among disciplines including social, educational and health sciences, and arts -on how to support our (future) healthcare professionals to be(come) healthy and vigorous, committed to personal leadership, lifelong learning, social justice, and patient-centred care. Our research emphasis lies on both pedagogical and organisational approaches to nurture and encourage personal qualities in healthcare professionals and students and to empower them to act upon their working/learning climates and environments to contribute to a diverse, socially safe and inclusive culture.

Our research interests include the following topics and research questions:

Well-being / vitality

• What are the theoretical models that can support the development of educational strategies to promote the well-being of students?
• How can these theoretical models inform the design of pedagogical interventions?
• How does working night shifts impact the life of healthcare professionals?

Agentic engagement / lifelong learning / personal leadership / engagement

• How can acts of agentic engagement be operationalized in higher pre-clinical medical education problem-based learning (PBL) groups?
• How may theater-based pedagogies support health profession students` personal and professional development?
• What is known about applying game elements in health professions education on students' learning processes and outcomes?
• How does the way we assess and evaluate students drive behavior and motivation both in students and teachers?
• How may people's natural inclination to be curious become an inspiration for evaluation and assessment?

Learning/working environment / culture / safety / inclusion / socialisation

• Which needs, expectations, and experiences of international students should higher education institutions take into account to be able to optimize their international learning environment?
• Which factors influence speaking-up behaviour in clinical teams and how can we nurture this behaviour?
• How can critical pedagogy ground educational approaches in health professions to promote equity, diversity, inclusion, and social justice?
• Which strategies do program directors use to facilitate the socialisation process of new residents?
• What are residents’ preferences concerning health care team and department members' strategies to optimize resident transition into the new healthcare context?

Empathy / compassion / role of emotions in learning and patient care

• How do educational interventions with real patients and with standardized/simulated patients foster learning patient-centredness?
• How may music-based pedagogies support the emotional development of medical students?

Professional identity formation

• How do moral dilemmas experienced during medical training impact professional identity development?
• How do peers influence medical students` professional identity development?
• What are the challenges related to the socialization and professional identity development of medical students from low-income families admitted to medical school?