The NVvTG
The Dutch Association for Technical Medicine (NVvTG) was founded in 2009 as the professional association of a new healthcare professional, the Technical Physician.
The NVvTG is dedicated to:
- ensure the quality of all technical physicians in the Netherlands
- stimulate scientific development
- serve the interests of her members
- represent the profession in the Netherlands
Improving healthcare
One of the primary goals of the NVvTG is to improve healthcare by the effective, efficient and safe implementation of medical technology. We closely collaborate with healthcare and political representatives, government bodies, professional umbrella organisations, scientific associations and other relevant parties and continuously strive to improve and safeguard the quality of our care.
Technical Medicine
The safe and innovative use of medical technology calls for healthcare professionals with specific expertise.
Technical Medicine is a relatively new and unique interdisciplinary program that trains specialists with knowledge and skills in the fields of both medicine and technology: the Technical Physician.
Educational program
The first educational program of Technical Medicine was established in 2003 at the University of Twente. The six-year study program comprises of a three-year Bachelor’s and a three-year Master’s phase.
In 2014 a second educational program was started at the Technical University of Delft, the University of Leiden and the Erasmus University Rotterdam under the name Clinical Technology. Just as Technical Medicine, this study consists of a three-year Bachelor’s and three-year Master’s program.
Specializations
In the Master phase, there are two specializations:
- Medical Imaging and Intervention combines knowledge of medical imaging, navigation and localization technologies with knowledge of cell biology. In this way creating opportunities to develop individualized and targeted therapies with use of image-guidance and localisation technology. An example is the application of targeted local radiotherapy of malignant tumors by using CT image-guidance.
- Medical Sensing and Stimulation focuses on acquiring, assessing and influencing signals from functional processes within the body and disruption of these systems in diseases. Areas of application are among others the neurological, cardiovascular or respiratory system. One example is deep brain or central nerve stimulation to modulate or restore vital functions, such as motor skills or breathing.