Aäron Spapens, a VU Medicine alumnus, identified a common issue: many young doctors doubted their abilities in basic tasks like taking blood samples. Instead of accepting this, he immediately emailed the Faculty of Medicine, stating, “The programme lacks a strong focus on practical skills.”
Aäron’s email not only landed him a position as project manager at SpringLab VU, but also provided a significant boost to the vision of (former) Vice Dean of Education at VUmc, Christa Boer, and Head of Strategy & Policy at Medicine, Mariaan de Haan. Their ambition to empower students to design their own learning environments finally took shape.
70% attendance at SpringLab trainings
In just two years, SpringLab VU, the innovative education platform of the Faculty of Medicine where students and experts co-develop and deliver lessons, grew from 3 to an impressive 84 team members. The first CPR training session was such a success that it was immediately repeated. Ultrasound courses were always fully booked, and nearly 70% of all bachelor’s students now attend station exam trainings. How was this success achieved? Through education created not only for students but also by students.
Developing their own lessons
Makaya Claassen, one of the students working at SpringLab, explains, “The training sessions align perfectly with what we learn. Where the curriculum sometimes falls short, SpringLab provides the necessary additions.” Fellow student Emmanuel Akhideno adds, “In the programme, you learn how to insert a needle, but before doing it on patients, I wanted more practice. SpringLab makes that possible.” The training sessions are guided by instructors or field experts. “You can make mistakes without it affecting your grades,” says Makaya.
The lessons that Makaya and Emmanuel develop can also be directly used in SpringLab trainings and sometimes even in the regular curriculum. For example, Emmanuel designed a training on gender and sexuality. “A hot topic,” says Aäron, “which will definitely be integrated into the curriculum. When the time comes, our teaching materials will be ready to step in.”
