Operating Room Assistant in Training

"As an operating room assistant in training, you follow theoretical lessons at the academy, but you primarily learn in practice. The knowledge you have acquired in theory, you can immediately apply in the field. During and after your training, you are part of a team that puts the patient central, whereby you can make a difference for the patient and their health. Learning every day, deepening your knowledge of the functioning of the human body every day, caring for people every day, and yet no day is the same." Jeanine Mulder, operating room assistant in training

As an operating room assistant in training, you combine working and studying. You study at the HAN and in our academic OR, you will start working as an operating room assistant in training to learn the profession. You always work under the supervision of a qualified colleague.

As an operating room assistant, you are co-responsible for ensuring that operations are carried out qualitatively well and safely under all circumstances and, whenever possible, within the schedule. Especially in unexpected situations, the work as an operating room assistant at our UMC OR becomes truly challenging. During the practical periods, you assist the surgeon with various procedures on the patient. You work together within a surgical team.

Before a patient is operated on, you ensure that all instruments, equipment, and other necessities are ready and sterile in the operating room. Your task during an operation consists of various duties: instrumenting, circulating, or assisting.

The theory and practical periods alternate throughout the school years. You keep track of your personal development in your own portfolio.

You can find everything about the training here. Curious about the practice? View our recruitment film!

Please note: do you want to follow the hbo-vt route via Fontys or Saxion? If so, do not respond to this vacancy, but register directly with Fontys or Saxion.

During your training, you will work in an academic OR that aims to be a leader in the Netherlands and Europe. You will be part of an enthusiastic team that enjoys benefiting from your knowledge and experience. We find it important that we learn from each other daily. Additionally, the giving of open and honest feedback on everyone's performance is being increasingly anchored in our culture. In this regard, we consider your personal input to be crucial. We accept each other's mistakes, but simultaneously help each other to constantly become better in our profession. We work hard together to be and remain a leader in the Netherlands. To this end, we form a close-knit team that interacts in a very collegial manner, both within and outside of work.

Within the Operating Rooms department of Radboudumc, you will start working as an operating room assistant in training, under the guidance of six operational managers specifically for surgery, with a team of approximately 120 driven operating room assistants. The training process is shaped by the 5 practical instructors.

We expect that you, as an operating room assistant—after obtaining the CZO core diploma and academic development through the specific EPAs—will be deployable within 1 of the three service clusters: Trauma Surgery, Neurosurgery, or Cardiothoracic Surgery (CTC). Here, you will deepen your knowledge in a specialist area of focus and make a direct contribution to highly complex care.

Cardiothoracic surgery is the specialty that focuses on the operative treatment of organs in the thorax, particularly the heart, the lungs, and the large blood vessels. The surgery is characterized by an increase in minimally invasive procedures and major operations that often require a heart-lung machine. In this field, you therefore work closely in a relatively small team with, among others, a Thoracic Surgeon, perfusionist, Cardiothoracic Anesthesiologist, and anesthesia technician.

At the Operating Rooms department, you work on the organization of high-quality, safe operative care for approximately 25,000 patients per year. You support all surgical specialties, several diagnostic specialties, and the Anesthesiology department. With 25 operating rooms, surgical day treatment, recovery rooms, the Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU), and the ultra-modern MITeC OR complex, we offer top-clinical care and work continuously on innovation and the improvement of patient care. You will be part of a team of dedicated colleagues in which collaboration and personal attention are central. We pay a lot of attention to an attractive working environment, team spirit, and personal development, with activities such as the annual OR symposium, training days, and annual team outings.

To start working as an operating room assistant in training, it is important that you are able to respond to unexpected situations, that you are self-assured, and that you hold your own even under pressure. The combination of working and studying requires that you have perseverance and are truly motivated to work as an operating room assistant. You can make the difference in the OR.

You have an affinity with biology and chemistry and a:

• Havo or vwo diploma or;
• Mbo diploma level 4 (focused on healthcare) or;
• Hbo diploma.

• In addition to your CV , we would love to receive your motivation via a video of maximum 2 minutes. This video will be in place of a motivation letter; we therefore only expect a video and no letter. In the video, we would like to hear how you think the work of an operating room assistant looks and why you fit so well.
• In addition to uploading your CV and motivation video, we also ask you to include a scan of your diplomas and transcripts of álle previously completed training programs. If you are going to obtain your diploma this year, please send the most recent transcript. If you do not send these documents when applying, you will be asked to show them at a later time.
• We ask for these documents so that we can form a better picture of you as a candidate. This helps us with the selection. An online assessment may also potentially be part of the selection process.
• Your application will be assessed in early March. After that, you will hear around March 12 whether you will be invited for a shadowing day on March 23 or 24, 2027. If you are invited to shadow, you will then hear around April 13 whether you will be invited for the selection interviews on Thursday April 22, 2027. It would be helpful if you could take all the mentioned dates into account.
• The training starts once every 6 months. This recruitment round is for students who want to start in November 2027. You will start with a 'pre-professional period' of 10 weeks and will then receive a learning agreement with a monthly allowance of € 450.00 (pocket money scheme).
• If you successfully complete this period, you will start working and learning in our academic operating room with a learning/employment contract. The employment conditions in chapter 16 of our CAO umc apply here. Radboudumc pays your salary and your tuition and book fees in accordance with the Cao umc. Lesson and exam time counts as working time and is paid accordingly. The total training lasts approximately 3 years with a contract of 36 hours per week.
• Are you a nurse or do you have a healthcare-related education and have at least 2 years of work experience as a qualified healthcare professional? Then you may be eligible for an allowance.
• After obtaining your diploma, we will convert your learning/employment contract into an employment contract of 32 - 36 hours for an indefinite period.
• A Certificate of Conduct (VOG) is required for this position.