Jolein opts for the Emergency Department in Twente

This article is part of the series 'Twente Lives!' Here you can read personal stories about working and living in Twente. According to the talents we speak, Twente is a good place to be. The beautiful nature, space, the down-to-earth mentality; all things that characterise Twente. Besides, there are career opportunities! Twente has many innovative, international and future-proof companies that are crying out for staff. Do you want to know what Twente has to offer? Read the story of Jolein Huttenhuis below.

Jolein was born and raised in Oldenzaal and went to high school there. For her studies in Medicine, she went to Nijmegen. Although she had a great time there, she always knew that she wanted to go back to Twente. Back in Twente, she sought a job that suited her studies. “I was able to go to ZGT in Almelo as surgery assistant, which I loved. But I wanted to be more involved, and then we created a group for the emergency room at the hospital. As a result, I did an additional study for Emergency Medicine in Zwolle. This is a specialisation and takes – similar to the training of a general practitioner – three years.”

“Studying in Zwolle was quite tough. I worked full-time with varying shifts and also had to study. To keep it up, I temporarily rented a room in Zwolle, where I could stay, resulting in less stress and travel. After training as an Emergency Medicine Doctor, I went to Brighton in England for eight months to gain experience and as enrichment for my profession.”

After eight months in England, Jolein returned to Twente. “In general, there is a shortage of doctors in the Netherlands, so there is plenty of work to be done in this respect. Especially in Twente, you have great career opportunities as a doctor. The hospitals in Almelo and Enschede have virtually all training courses out there, so it is not necessary to go to a hospital close to the study of Medicine. I think you can increase your career chances, especially by working in a hospital in Twente.”

“The great thing about working in the emergency department is that you work in a team with nurses. We have assistants who have just graduated, interns, nurses, emergency physicians, specialists and Physician Assistants (PA). All fun and reliable forces who know what they are doing and are also very pleasant and collegial outside of working hours.”

“Also, I think there is an extra challenge in Twente in my profession. Twentenaren generally hesitate to see a doctor. People in Twente are straightforward, and you can notice it in the emergency department. Patients often think: 'This will pass'. And yes, often this is true. Still, I meet several patients who should have taken action earlier. Because of this mentality, we see many people who need our help, instead of people who come to the emergency room for nothing serious and, therefore, cause a kind of 'pollution'.”

“Besides, I do notice that the people from Twente have more confidence in us as the medical staff. They listen carefully to my advice here, are a lot more patient and, therefore, less opinionated. However, the Twentenaren can still learn to ask more critical questions about their process and recovery.”

You never know what to expect, working in the emergency room. “Some days are very intense, while other days, all I do is send people to the plaster room. During the corona crisis, everything is different in the ER department. Especially now, the pressure is very high. In the first wave, people with complaints other than corona rather stayed at home. Now they just come, and we are twice as busy.”

“I particularly like to see how we approach the situation as a team. Colleagues are all working hard to make the job as smooth as possible. Everything is well arranged, and in this second wave, we can better estimate what is coming and how to respond properly.”

Fortunately, Jolein still has some spare time to enjoy Twente. Earlier this year, she gave birth to a daughter. “Yes, a baby requires much of my time, but I adore it! Moreover, I play badminton and the bariton.”

To make the future even brighter, Jolein and her family are now renovating a house. It is almost time to move there. Finally, Jolein says: “I’m also a member of the committee of the Dutch Association of Emergency Physicians. My weeks just fly by!”