Circular Transition in Healthcare
Discover the Future of Healthcare: Minor Circular Transition in Healthcare
The Dutch healthcare sector produces more than 300,000 tons of waste each year and causes eight percent of Dutch CO2 emissions. Do you also think that this can be improved and do you have a heart for the healthcare sector? Choose the minor Circular Transition in Healthcare! In Rotterdam and the surrounding area, you will work together with leading organizations such as the Erasmus Medical Center. This program brings together students from different fields of study, such as nursing, technology and business administration, to jointly develop innovative and sustainable solutions for the healthcare sector. This minor offers you the unique opportunity to gain practical experience in a healthcare institution such as a hospital or a nursing home and to contribute to a circular future. Register now and become a pioneer in the healthcare of tomorrow!
The old way of doing things—taking, making, and wasting—isn't working anymore. Economically, we're running out of important resources more often. Environmentally, all the waste is polluting our planet and messing up our food. Plus, the way we produce things is heating up the planet because we rely on fossil fuels. This system is also bad for our physical and mental health. Climate change is the biggest threat to our lives, but it's also a huge business opportunity.
The circular economy is designed to be more sustainable. It aims to keep products, parts, and materials useful and valuable for as long as possible. The ultimate goal is a world without waste, where we all live within the planet's limits.
The Circular Transition in Healthcare minor aims to create change-makers who can design and test innovative solutions from different perspectives. In this program, you'll work with experts in circular economy, health care stakeholders and their supply chain partners, students, teachers, and researchers from technical and economic fields.
Field projects are aligned with the research agenda of the professorship circular economy, which identifies three general research themes:
The minor has two main goals:
- Personal transformation by learning skills to deal with a complex problem and developing yourself into a ‘responsible leader’ who wishes to inspire others for change.
- System transformation by applying circular economy principles, frameworks, theories and tools to complex problems using methods such as design thinking, systems thinking, transition theories and theories of change.
- In this minor you will get the chance to collaborate intensively with a client. You will receive a real challenge that needs to be researched and solved in order for the client to meet its circular ambitions and objectives. You will work at location of the client but also in Blue City.
- A project example from 2024-2025: Greening of the laboratory of Erasmus Medical Centre. A group of 6 students researched into reducing the use of labels on blood collection tubes. They tested the functioning of the new and smaller label, with less patient details on it, in the processing of the blood sample in different laboratory departments. They closely worked together with the IT department as well as with lab technicians. Finding support for this change was also part of the assignment.
Read and listen to more information about the urgency for the health care sector to act on reducing waste and their footprint (in Dutch):
Diederik Gommers: 'Zorginfarct geen vrijbrief om niks aan milieu te doen' | NPO Radio 1
Program overviewThe minor will start every year in September and in February, taking 20 weeks to complete, including the resit, which is scheduled at the end of the minor program (see Figure 1).
Figure 1 Overview of the minor+ program
The program draws from different methodologies, namely design thinking, systems thinking, and transition theories.
The students and the groups receive coaching throughout the process. There are four dedicated coaches. However, for specific expertise, other coaches may step in.
Learning phase 1
In the first week, full emersion works from the inside out. Students learn about themselves, the students in their groups, the coaches and coaching style, the methodologies used and the project they will be working on.
At the end of this week, students will have a learning agreement and have decided which of three key themes of the professorship (changing behaviours, business models/concepts, or transforming the value chain) for their respective theme they wish to focus on, and formulate initial learning questions.
In the first 9 weeks, students are offered a wide range of workshops and master classes that allow them to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills. They select a minimum of 8 workshops appropriate to the project and fitting their own interests. The workshops are jointly offered by all the circular minors from the Hogeschool Rotterdam (by three institutes of Build Environment, Engineering and Applied Science and Rotterdam Business School).
Learning phase 2
In this phase, students develop ideas to transform the system, develop prototypes and validate these in practice. They also work on an individual project, continuing to build their skills and knowledge base. This may be a workshop, an e-book or literature review, a podcast or a short documentary or a circular product. All results are shared and disseminated at the closing event Circular Harvest.
Weeks 5 and 14 are spent on reflections, both on the work done for the system transformation and the personal transformation. Students receive feedback on activities, products, processes and progress.
Weeks 9 and 18 are reserved for the assessment of work completed for system and personal transformation.
Throughout the program, students will work with a variety of stakeholders who have an interest in the themes the Fieldlab is working on.
Planning
Week
System transformation
Personal transformation
Activity
Contact
Teamwork
Activiteit
Contact
Zelfstudie
1
Emersion
12
4
Leercontract
4
4
2
Project
4
8
Workshops
8
8
3
Project
4
8
Workshops
8
8
4
Project- Pres
4
8
Workshops
8
8
5
Formative assessment
4
8
Formative assessment
4
8
6
Project
4
8
Workshops
8
8
7
Project
4
8
Workshops
8
8
8
Project
4
8
Workshops
8
8
9
Summative assessment
4
8
Summative assessment
8
8
10
Resits
8
8
11
Hackathon 8 uur
12
Project
4
8
Fieldtrips, guest lecture Individual project
2
8
13
Project
4
8
Fieldtrips, guestlecture Individual project
2
8
14
Formative assessment
4
8
Formative assessment
2
8
15
Project
4
8
Fieldtrips, guestlecture Individual project
2
2
8
16
Project
4
8
Fieldtrips, guestlecture Individual project
8
8
17
Project
4
8
Fieldtrips, guestlecture Individual project
8
8
18
Summative assessment
4
8
Summative assessment
8
8
19
Resit
8
Resit
8
Circular Harvest
Watch our video for more information!
Leerdoelen
At an individual level, the minor:
- Aims for students to discover their full potential as a human being and as a responsible, global citizen who is aware of the boundaries of our planet.
- Act as change agents for a zero-carbon economy and a safe space for humanity within planetary boundaries.
- Make a visible impact by making small contributions to complex challenges and wicked problems on the local and the global level.
More generally, the student:
-
Has demonstrable knowledge and understanding of a discipline that builds on and exceeds the level achieved in secondary education; usually operates at a level where, with the support of specialised manuals, there are some aspects that require knowledge of the latest developments in the field of expertise (knowledge and insight).
- Is able to apply his knowledge and insight in such a way that it shows a professional approach to his work or profession and has competencies for drawing up and deepening arguments and for solving problems in the field of expertise (applying knowledge and insight).
- Is able to collect and interpret relevant data (usually in the field of expertise) with the aim of forming an opinion that is partly based on weighing relevant social, scientific, or ethical aspects (making judgments).
- Is able to communicate information, ideas and solutions to an audience consisting of specialists and non-specialists (communication).
- Has the necessary learning skills to enter a follow-up study or enter a job that presupposes a high level of autonomy (learning skills).
Ingangseisen
The minor is open to all year 4 students meeting the minor entrance requirements of the university. Students from all backgrounds contribute to the transition from their discipline.
Literatuur
Literature will be provided via the different workshops to ensure that materials are up to date.
Software tools
- Reference manager ENDNOTE – free licence available via the library of RUAS.
- SPSS – purchase at Surfnet (surfspot.org) for Euro 10, using your HR registration details
- LCA tool – CCALC2 http:www.ccalc.org.uk/ccalc2.php (For Windows only)
- Agent-Based Modelling - Wilensky, U. (1999). Netlogo. Evanston, IL: Center for Connected Learning and Computer-Based Modeling, Northwestern University. Retrieved from http://ccl.northwestern.edu/netlogo/.
Rooster
See assessment overview
Toetsing
Aanvullende informatie
Are you a student from another educational institution and you want to take a minor at Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, you can apply in 2 steps as follows:
1) Register for the minor of your choice via the blue button Enroll. You can find this button at the top right of the minor's page.
Download and fill in the learning agreement
Submit this learning agreement to the Exam Board of your study programme.
Once the Board of Examiners has given its approval, please register for the minor in step 2 no later than 23-05-2025
2) After approval, register in OSIRIS Aanmelding of Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences via the link below (create an account first). https://osiris.hr.nl/osiris_aanmeld_hrprd/WelkomPagina.do?proces=KOM2509&opleiding=MINOR-RBS-VT+00
Part of the registration process is to upload the following documents:
- The learning agreement signed by you and by your institution;
- A scan or photo of your passport or ID card;
You will receive a message from Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences whether your application has been positively assessed or not.
In OSIRIS Aanmelding, you must also upload the Evidence Paid Tuition Fee (BBC) for the academic year in which you want to follow the minor. You can request the BBC from your institution after you have signed or issued an authorization for the payment of the tuition fees for the academic year in which you want to take the minor.
You will receive a message from Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences when your application has been approved.
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