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Internationalization

As a SOMT University of Physiotherapy, it is important to create opportunities for individuals, both students and staff themselves, but also for the university to excel, grow and innovate to its full potential. This can only be done by participating in international initiatives and alliances, collaborating with partners and learning from them while sharing our knowledge and expertise with others.

Erasmus policy statement

By meeting new people, young and old, with fresh new ideas or established knowledge and expertise, we can be challenged and together we can learn, share experiences and grow to our full potential. This can only be achieved if everyone is treated equally and there is no discrimination based on gender, race, color, ethnic or social origin, genetic characteristics, language, religion or belief, political or other opinion, membership of a national minority, property , birth, disability, age or sexual orientation. SOMT University of Physiotherapy fully subscribes to these principles according to the European Chartered Higher Education (ECHE).

To provide information about how SOMT University of Physiotherapy strives to provide opportunities for students, staff, partnerships and alliances in internationalization, we describe three core activities

Key activity 1: Student and staff mobility
Key activity 2: Partnerships, alliances and capacity building
Key activity 3: Supporting policy reform

Core activity 1

Student mobility

SOMT University of Physiotherapy believes that students will grow in competencies, as well as spiritually when they meet different people from different cultures as their backgrounds. To take full advantage of this growth opportunity, SOMT University of Physiotherapy encourages students to take time during their studies to live and work abroad, in a completely different environment and health care system. SOMT University of Physiotherapy truly believes that this is enriching for later life.

SOMT University of Physiotherapy is therefore committed to providing an internship abroad for all students who feel challenged by this international program. Students can do a 3-month internship abroad in the third year of the undergraduate program. As it is, students have followed their desire and explored living and working in different countries and locations such as:

  • York, St John’s University Hospital England
  • Zurich, private clinic for physical therapy Switzerland
  • Paris, Hopital Foch, Suresnes, France
  • Moshi, KCMC hospital Tanzania

We challenge students to explore other international locations for a possible internship in physical therapy. If a contact is appointed by the students, contact is made by the international officer: Eelko Barnhoorn. Possibilities are explored and especially if the quality of mentorship is present, safety is guaranteed and a growth of competencies can be achieved. The ‘international officer’ will visit the location or establish a good contact with the mentor online and investigate all the above issues.

Living conditions and the cost of housing and living will be clear in advance.

We also welcome international students, volunteers and staff to attend SOMT University of Physiotherapy. We are aware that our community will flourish through an open community where young people from abroad will bring new ideas and can be inspiring to staff and students at SOMT University of Physiotherapy.

To make it possible to attend SOMT University of Physiotherapy for a longer period of time, SOMT University of Physiotherapy is building student housing for all our international visitors in cooperation with the municipality of Amersfoort.

For our international students, we can offer a number of programs related to specialization in the profession of physical therapy, such as:

  • Manual therapy
  • Sports Physiotherapy (currently in Dutch)
  • Health care for men and women (currently in Dutch or German)
  • Geriatric physiotherapy (Dutch)
  • Musculoskeletal ultrasound diagnostics
  • Advanced clinical practice (infiltration). In collaboration with St. John’s University York, England

It is possible to apply for a scholarship for support in an international internship or as a volunteer. See: europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus

Another grant opportunity is the Erasmus Fund through the European Solidarity Corps.
Currently, we have an institutional link with St. John’s University Physiotherapy in York, England and MUHAS University in Dar-es Salaam, Tanzania.
Currently, SOMT University of Physiotherapy has applied to become a registered European Chartered Higher Education. Once recognized, SOMT University of Physiotherapy can become part of the solidarity corps and create more opportunities for students to develop their full potential.
For more information see europa.eu/youth/solidarity

If you have any further questions, you can reach our international studies advisor at: E.Barnhoorn@somt.nl

Staff mobility

SOMT University of Physiotherapy for Physical Therapy believes that in addition to students, staff will grow to its full potential when they meet different people from different cultures as backgrounds and in different cultural settings. Furthermore, staff can learn from developments within physical therapy and education in other countries and benefit from cooperation with other universities to strengthen each other’s knowledge and profession.

Staff exchanges are currently taking place with three other universities. A memorandum of understanding has been signed with all these three universities.

  • VUB, Brussels, Belgium. There is an exchange of personnel in both directions. While the SOMT University of Physiotherapy benefits from the prior knowledge and skills of the functional anatomist of the Free University of Brussels Prof. A. Scafoglieri, the VUB benefits from the prior knowledge in building a modern international teaching program, by Prof. E. van Trijffel. This strong collaboration between these institutions has led to a strengthening in both teaching and research. An example is the collaboration with Prof. Bautmans on the research project “intrinsic capacity and functional decline” as one of our main research themes.
  • St John’s University in York, England has developed an educational program to ship Advanced Clinical Practitioner within Physiotherapy. Because of the development of musculoskeletal health in NHS healthcare in England, their advanced knowledge on this subject is of great input and a wealth of information for SOMT University of Physiotherapy. SOMT University of Physiotherapy offered Prof. J. Thompson a lectureship as a lecturer in this educational module at SOMT University of Physiotherapy. In the future, SOMT University of Physiotherapy is working on a joint research program on advanced health care with St John’s University, York and the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam.
  • Muhimbili University Hospital Dar es Salaam (MUHAS University) in Tanzania is currently developing a university physical therapy program. SOMT University of Physiotherapy has provided its assistance through external review of the program by Prof. A. Pool-Goudzwaard and offering staff exchange, particularly to university-trained MSc and PhDs who can teach clinical reasoning and evidence-based physiotherapy. For the past two years, SOMT University of Physiotherapy has supported some staff members (5 teachers) to travel and stay in Tanzania for 2 weeks to teach courses on women’s health care and low back pain (Ms. B. Hylkema (MSc), Ms. L. Westerik (MSc), Mr. M. Stenneberg (MSc), Mr. R. Wingbermuhle (Phd Student MSc) and Prof. A. Pool-Goudzwaard.

For future development, SOMT University of Physiotherapy is working to exchange staff and students with other partners such as:

  • University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland
  • Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon Portugal

Core activity 2

Partnerships & alliances

The mission of SOMT University of Physiotherapy is to increase the quality of physical therapy through innovation and training physical therapists for excellence in their profession by installing lifelong learning. In line with this mission, SOMT University of Physiotherapy strives to develop for Physical Therapy with strategic partnerships, (knowledge) alliances through capacity building.

Both national and international strategic partnerships and alliances are present or emerging from two higher goals:

  1. Strive to advance clinical practice position (extended scope) within physical therapy care in the Netherlands through advanced education and training skills in clinical reasoning, diagnostics (X-Ray, CTscan Blood) lab and MRI) and pharmacology (medication prescribing. Partners are St John’s University in York ACP) and through research at the VU Amsterdam into the extended scope
    Alliances are being made with NVES NVMT and NVFS to support the research. Potentially interested partners for knowledge alliances are Philips, Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft
  2. Strive to provide comprehensive education to deepen the knowledge of BSc physical therapy students on medicine-related topics to make the study equivalent to medicine, through strategic partnerships and capacity building. Teaching is provided by
    – AMC Amsterdam Immunology
    – LUMC Medical genetics
    – VUMC metabolism
    – Anatomy – VUB Brussels
    In addition, SOMT University of Physiotherapy is pursuing technology training in Physical Therapy and Technology, again through strategic partnerships, (knowledge) alliances through capacity building. Partners are
    – Tampere University
    York
    – VUB Brussels
    – TU Delft
    – TU Enschede
    – VU Amsterdam
    – TU Eindhoven
    Alliances are being formed at an early stage with Philips and Johnson & Johnson & Microsoft/

Core activity 3

SOMT University of Physiotherapy seeks to increase the participation of young people in democratic life, especially in developing knowledge in the fields of education, training and youth.

Our primary goal for our long-term strategy is to develop education together with our partner, MUHAS University in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania. Through this partnership, there are opportunities for our own staff and students to share and learn from health care systems, policies and culture in another country like Tanzania, as well as to discuss the value of access to education, health care and equal status for men and women. The same goes for students and staff who join us in teaching and research in the Netherlands. Through volunteering, meetings also through social media we try to stay in touch with each other.

Internationalisering SOMT