Are we going to be seeing our family doctor on the Internet in the future instead of going to his office? Are we going to have a chip card with all our medical files on it? These are the kind of questions medical information science addresses. Finding the answers requires expertise in various facets of computer technology as well as a thorough knowledge of medicine. Medical Informatics analyses information flows, devises solutions to information problems, and explores ways to use information more effectively. Experts in the field understand the terminology of physicians so they can really provide made-to-order solutions. If you are interested in medicine and also fascinated by technology and informatics, the Bachelor’s programme in Medical Informatics might be just the thing for you. The UvA is the only university in the Netherlands where you can do a Bachelor’s programme in Medical Informatics. The programme is not only focused on scientific research in the field of medicine, it addresses health care itself and the role information technology can play in it. This programme is unique because of its link with the field of medicine. Unlike the curriculum for medicine, Medical Informatics is about understanding the methods and approaches in the examination and treatment of patients, and the role information plays in the process. In the study programme, students learn to use a wide range of computer equipment. In the first year, students attend lectures and do practical courses on programming, health and medical assistance processes and how the health care system is organised, the electronic medical file, anatomy, physiology and cell biology. In the second and third year, they learn to draw more links between various parts of the study programme. There are also internships, where students become acquainted with various sides of health and medical care and write a thesis. It is also possible to do part of the study programme abroad. The Bachelor’s programme in Medical Informatics is given at the Academic Medical Centre (AMC), the largest and perhaps the best hospital in the Netherlands. After the Bachelor’s programme in Medical Informatics, you will graduate as a Bachelor of Science (BSc).

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