What inspired you to found the Czech Hospital Placements Program?
I worked in education for many years and struggled to find a study program where the primary focus would be on the students' specialty interest, while helping them to be fully prepared for experiential learning and giving them all the information about the department and the most important people for their placement, their mentors. I believe that students need to know the maximum before they apply anywhere to make their conclusions about their specialty choices and also to set up the right expectations from the specialty placement. When you have a detailed overview of the daily tasks of your mentoring team, it is pretty clear to you what can you see and what you should be prepared for. I spent years in the field talking with students about their specific needs, and I put a big emphasis on their ideas and opinions while creating the Czech Hospital Placements Program.
The OR’s atmosphere while watching the mentors performing their tasks is always unique.
What is the mission of CHP Programs and how do you work toward that mission?
Our mission is to help our students to love what they do with every heartbeat, truly. We open their potential through experiential learning when they observe the daily work reality of neurosurgeons, emergency doctors, paramedics, cardiovascular surgeons, ARU nurses, nuclear medicine physicists, physical therapists working with patients with pulmonary and neurological conditions, and healthcare professionals working in more than 16 other specialties. They witness the daily job tasks; they realize what it takes to become a professional in specific specialty. What's more, their views and opinions are confronted in many aspects. My goal is to sit with our student on the final day of his placement during the debriefing and have in front of me a person who is certain about his career path and dedicated to work further on his goals.
The fact that our students grow personally and become more independent and open-minded after their placement is a welcomed side-effect.
Why should individuals participate in CHP programs over other program opportunities?
I read daily many applications of students to the CHP Program. We put quite a big emphasis to know a lot about our applicants’ motivation and background, and it is very rare to come across students who are sure about why they want to become healthcare professionals and why they want to work in a specific specialty, while not giving vague and weak answers. The lacking experience in the real clinical environment is the reason behind this, and that is what we try to fix. If you as a student decide to study medicine, nursing, physical therapy, or other fields, you must be strongly motivated and determined that this path is the right one for you. If you don’t have the experience, you can quite easily waste your time on a goal that is not the right one for you because of wrong assumptions.
The CHP Program is very different in the way of how we approach students. You know all the information about the specialized centers, typical patient cases, and methods and procedures, including all the information about your potential mentoring team ahead. This way it is quite easy to pick the right specialty experience for you, and as our students usually shadow their mentors one on one, you have the full attention of your mentor and the time to ask him or her all you want and need to know before taking one of the most crucial decisions in your life. Another part of the CHP Program is to do our best to help you to get ready for the specialty placement before you arrive, concerning your knowledge base and practical tips including the guidelines on how to behave in the OR and other hospital areas you have access to.
Speaking with our mentor Tereza at the Emergency Department for Adults in the University Hospital in Motol who is now on maternity leave. This fantastic hospital is my main office.
Can you tell us about the role you play within the organization today?
I designed the CHP Program since the very beginning, and I continue to run it and to be daily in touch with our students, because it helps me to improve it continually. When you have a company, no matter what your business is, you need to be in touch with your customers, get to know them, and listen to their wishes, suggestions, and criticism too. If you lose touch with your customers, you can get the impression that there is nothing more to be improved. There is always something to work on.
I love to be daily in the hospital environment and work with the healthcare professionals in the University Hospital in Motol. I genuinely admire their effort and results. That makes me very satisfied and creates the right balance as our mentors - doctors, nurses, physical therapists, biomedical engineers, and medical physicists - as well as our aspiring students, can count on me that I am there 24/7 with my team when they need us, so the CHP Program runs all the time smoothly.
You have degrees in International Relations, European Studies, and Human Rights. How does your educational background impact what you do?
We succeeded in creating an international environment among our mentors and students, and my future work will be dedicated to building an active network among our absolvents, universities, and healthcare professionals throughout the world. These are the areas where I use my background. My degree in Human Rights and Democratization helped me mainly as an experience of studying a master degree abroad, in Italy and Austria. It opened my horizons and possibilities. That is what I wish for our students in the CHP Program. Moreover, last but not least, I started to cooperate with healthcare professionals at that time as well.
With the amazing January group of the CHP Program students. It is always great to meet the future healthcare professionals in person and help them during their stay with us.
What do you hope participants take away from these programs?
First of all, being sure of what they want and do not want to do regarding their future career. It is then being able to make conclusions and comparisons of the pros and cons of different healthcare systems and how the work in a hospital is organized on a daily basis. Another effect is to find and sometimes re-confirm the motivation and dedication in pursuing their goals, as well as a clear plan and inspiration on what to look up further and where they need to work more on achieving them.
It also makes me very happy when they get along well with other students and mentors. Quite often students help each other and discuss in the afternoons and evenings various patient cases and methods and procedures they saw. For the future, I hope to create for them a community where news, job positions, and professional internship and research positions will be shared among them.
Why do you think the Czech Republic is an ideal location for medical experience?
The University Hospital in Motol is the biggest hospital in Central Europe. It has the highest standards of care, and especially in pediatric specialties, it is the best place for your child to be admitted to. This hospital is exceptional as well because the quality of various specialized centers that enable the interdepartmental cooperation, so you can see quite some rare cases that most professionals would never come across during their whole professional career. The greatest assets are the people working here as our mentors. I have never seen such a determination and willingness to share the knowledge and teach young, dedicated people in my whole life. It is a pure joy to be around these healthcare professionals and pleasure to learn from them because they genuinely lead by example.
Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic where the CHP Program is based, is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I have lived in quite some marvelous destinations, including Venice in Italy, but there is nothing comparable to the view of the Prague Castle and Vltava river all enlightened at night. You cannot help yourself to stop for a second and say “Wow!”, no matter how many times you saw that view. It is a vibrant city, and you can travel easily to all the European and other destinations during the weekends, too.
Another part of my life that gives me a huge satisfaction next to my job is music. With the gentlemen from jazz group J.J. Jazzmen
What does meaningful travel mean to you?
Meaningful travel is a life-changing experience that I went through myself. If you have a specific goal and want to overcome your fears while taking time to become a part of a community and culture of one particular country, it changes the way you think about other people and yourself forever. You can discover your potential and get to know yourself way more. So once you start with this approach, you will probably travel this way for the rest of your life.
You have extensive international experience living in Italy, France, and Austria. Why do you believe it is important to travel and experience new cultures?
Because it helps you to think outside of the box. I would hardly be the person I am today without my experience abroad. I would hardly think about founding my company. It made me rethink many of my opinions and helped me to realize what truly matters to me and what my personal values are. Traveling usually allows people to be more open minded once they are confronted with different mentalities and views. Another great side-effect is becoming more independent, as you learn to count on yourself while being more responsible.
What hopes do you have for the future of Czech Hospital Placements Programs?
My biggest hope is to enlarge the CHP Program and maintain its quality and personal approach. And last, but not least, to create a well-functioning network of alumni students and mentors all around the globe sharing tips, ideas, jobs, research positions, and useful information.
