Surgery

Your week starts early on Monday morning at the hospital. You are a resident doctor training to become a specialist — in Dutch called an aios [arts-assistent in opleiding tot specialist]. You do rounds on the ward together with your supervisor, an experienced surgeon. During these rounds you check on all the patients. You discuss which operations are planned for that day and what you need to prepare.

On Tuesday and Wednesday you spend a lot of time in the operating theatre. You practise surgical techniques, like stitching wounds or working with a laparoscope — a camera used in keyhole surgery. You do this under the guidance of an experienced surgeon. Sometimes you attend a lecture on anatomy, the study of the human body, or on anaesthesiology, the study of sedation and pain relief. You also learn how to prepare a patient for surgery and how to arrange their care afterwards.