The mobile dental care bus: Learning on the road

Senior researcher in the inclusive labor market, Anita Ham, from the Urban Development research group led by Katja Rusinovic, investigates where this gap comes from. One of the research projects is the dental care bus which was featured last weekend on Hart van Nederland.

Anita: “Many foreign healthcare workers have the right skills but lack the necessary Dutch qualifications or experience in the Dutch labor market. They need a job at their skill level to gain experience, but because they lack experience, they can’t get that job. They’re stuck in a catch-22.”

Free dental care

The Municipality of The Hague offers internationally trained dentists a learning–working placement to gain experience in a mobile dental care bus. This bus will be stationed at the Leyweg until March 31. Homeless individuals, migrant workers, and uninsured people without their own dentist can visit the bus for free basic dental care. Two dentists registered in the BIG register work alongside nine dentist trainees who were trained abroad and who, through this project, work and learn under supervision.

Diversity as strength

THUAS has a highly diverse student population, making us the perfect partner for a research project like this. Anita: “We have students who speak the same languages as the international healthcare workers. This helps us better identify the challenges these talented workers face and where we can support them. At the same time, we gather experiences from diverse patients. This shows that diversity truly is our strength.”

Investing to integrate

During the research, they quickly discovered that the issue does not lie in the professional skills of the international dentists but rather in differences in workplace culture. “In the Netherlands, for example, the patient is involved in decision-making, which is not always the case in other countries, and that takes some getting used to”, Anita explains. “Additionally, the language proficiency required in healthcare is higher than B1, so continuous investment in language learning is needed. Employers in the Netherlands also have a responsibility here.”

Teaching materials

Currently, too many international healthcare workers work below their skill level, even though they gained experience and hold the right qualifications in their home countries. Anita: “At THUAS we do not train dentists, but that’s not necessary. We are developing teaching materials that support other essential skills, such as referral options and knowledge of the Dutch healthcare system. We can translate this to the rest of the healthcare sector, helping to quickly fill the staffing shortages we so urgently need to address.”

Hart van Nederland

Watch the full Hart van Nederland segment here.