Mediter

Internships

1. ORGANISATION

In 1987, Canossa-medical was established as a cooperative partnership of doctors specialising in the evaluation of human damage (brain damage due to accidents or psychological trauma, for example, armed robbery or sexual abuse).

The examination assignments are usually commissioned by insurance companies or by judicial authorities (the courts, investigating judges, local counsels, etc.) in Belgium and abroad.

Dr Ignaas P. Lindemans is Director.

In addition, there are therapeutic assignments (NIHDI) within a multidisciplinary team comprised of twelve allied health professionals and administrative staff.

Scientific research is also carried out. Currently, a market study is being carried out on the possibility of having psychological crisis interventions in the workplace at medium-sized and multinational companies (Icons-Psy Employee Assistance Programme).

So, there is close contact with many different kinds of companies from different business sectors.

Canossa-medical is affiliated with the adjoining medical polyclinic (cardiologists, neurologists, urologists, gynaecologists, radiology department, etc.).

The work environment is a 19th century patrician’s house (built in 1887) and is classified as historically valuable (for TV reports, recording of TV serials, Heritage Days, guided group visits, etc.).

2. OFFER

A. Psychiatry internship for University of Leuven doctors

Dr Lindemans is the official University of Leuven coordinator for internships in the psychiatry department of the Europe Hospitals in Uccle. Dr De Hertogh, Dr Bastin, Dr Van Raemdonck and Dr. Munamé are internship supervisors.

The psychiatry service is a psychiatry department with 30 beds in a general hospital.

Please contact us the week before the internship starts to learn about the practical arrangements. At the same time, also be sure to e-mail us your CV. The three weeks of your internship in our service must be accompanied by an assessment of your scientific level and your casuistic description. Please submit this Calvinist discussion at the latest in the month that you complete your internship.

For those interested, every Tuesday in Halle (Canossa-medical, Bergensesteenweg 69), you can acquaint yourself with neuropsychiatric medical expertise: forensic-psychological profiling of offenders on behalf of the prosecutor, and neuropsychological damage assessment of brain injuries or psychological trauma.

For the evaluation of the scientific level, we ask you write a short discussion with fifty lines on an A4 sheet. You can choose between one of the following topics:

  • Use of antidepressants
  • Therapeutic approaches for the depressed patient
  • Use of anxiolytics
  • Therapeutic approaches for the anxious patient
  • Use of antipsychotics
  • Therapeutic approaches for the psychotic patient
  • The complicated grief process
  • The post-traumatic stress disorder
  • Preventative use of psychotropic drugs to prevent a mental disorder relapse
  • A brief discussion of the various forms of psychotherapy and their indications

The intention is not to enter into an in-depth scientific discourse, but to provide a clearly expressed summary of the general EBM approach in psychiatry so that we can assess your analytical ability, critical sense and understanding. 

We wish the interns a pleasant and instructive stay in our department.

B. Secretariat and other

This internship is focused on allowing future (medical) secretaries, social workers and psychologists and business economists/accountants to prove themselves in their work. Thanks to our excellent contacts, nursing students will easily find an internship at one of the Europe Hospitals in Brussels where motivated bilingual students are greatly appreciated.

Motivated interns are offered the chance to:

  • Learn to communicate (written and spoken) in foreign languages (French, English and to a lesser extent German) while developing assertiveness.
  • Learn to organise (help coordinate patient and client appointments, meetings and receptions).
  • To develop communication skills: receive many different types of clients, draw up letters and mailings, answer the phones and ask clients for clarification.
  • Meet with socially prominent individuals (study days with political, economic or social VIPs).
  • Learn how to use computers (create Excel lists, create Access databases, update our web pages, etc.).
  • Attend scientific lectures and workshops (after office hours).
  • Work in a historically valued environment (heritage building).
  • Possibly participate in the social counselling of patients and make observations on psychotherapies and psychological testing.

In the past, all (medical secretary) interns were supervised by the Catholic University of Leuven, the Catholic University of St. Lieven Aalst and the Heilig Hart College in Halle.

3. PROFILE

The candidate is expected to:

  • Be well groomed and have an attractive appearance (client contact!)
  • Respect confidentiality! (due to occasional contact with medical or judicial criminal files!)
  • At least have a moderate level of French or English
  • Have a basic knowledge of the Word, Excel and e-mail applications
  • Be sufficiently self-confident, while polite
  • A broad life perspective is valued highly (in addition to professional qualifications, for instance, youth movement activities, musical knowledge, sport adept, cultural upbringing, particular skills, social engagements, etc.).

4. PARTICULARS

We will use our large base of social and professional contacts to assist interns – those that are highly valued because of how they performed their duties – to find an appropriate position in the jobs market.

With us, interns are given the opportunity to demonstrate their professional knowledge and skills. And, thanks to this internship, they can also develop a broader perspective and gain a deeper understanding of current social problems.

As a legal expert, Dr Lindemans advises judicial authorities, lawyers and insurance companies advises on serious cases. Interns are given a unique opportunity to assist in the handling of such cases.

Attending legal proceedings, reconstructing a crime or murder, or psychoanalysing a criminal or murderer leaves a deep and indelible impression on many interns.

Our excellent contacts with business leaders, politicians and dignitaries provide interns with a unique opportunity to prove himself on a higher level. In addition, after office hours, they can acquainted with this type of knowledge at gatherings and workshops.

During the internship period from February to April 2006, the intern is given the chance to dine with Johan Vermeersch (Chairman of FC Brussels and CEO of Vermeersch Construct), Patrick Lefevere (Quickstep Floors manager), Valentin Van den Balck (former CEO of IBM and others companies) and Professor Franz Baro (WHO Mental Health expert). Interns will also be invited to various gatherings and workshops.

Canossa-medical specialises in assisting people with physical and mental health problems. Clearly, this endeavour requires a health dose of social engagement and idealism.