NL
DE
Everyone is welcome here
We welcome a diverse range of patients and visitors to our hospital every day.
read moreEveryone is welcome here
We welcome a diverse range of patients and visitors to our hospital every day. We provide care, we teach, and we carry out research. Radboud university medical center believes that everyone feels more at ease if you are able to relate to the people who work here. For this reason, we work hard every day to create a diverse and inclusive environment that reflects society. #weareradboudumc
Why?
Many of the decisions we make as we go about our day are unconscious decisions. Research shows that people tend to search for similarities – and so prefer individuals who are similar to them. For example, when filling job vacancies employees tend to subconsciously choose new colleagues who look like them. That may seem like a good idea, but in practice it means that expertise and talent are not used to their full potential. Teams in which people are less alike have been shown to perform better.
Diversity and inclusion help us to achieve our ambitions as an organization. We are striving to creating an environment in which everyone is free to be themselves. Only then can everyone achieve their full potential and can we as an organization make a significant impact on healthcare. That is our commitment.
Concrete goals
In the coming years we will focus on diversity and gender equality in our organisation. Read our GEP-planConcrete goals
As an inclusive employer, we promote equal opportunities for all and we strive to make these opportunities a reality. We realize that being inclusive is not something that is achieved overnight, but that it starts with a path that we will all follow together as an organization. And as we walk along that path together, we will shift our ambitions and continue to grow towards the inclusive organization that we aim to become.
In the coming years, we will essentially focus on the following four themes:
- Gender balance in managerial positions as well as equal pay and career development
- Diversity and gender equality in recruitment and selection
- Integration of the sex and gender dimension in the content of our research and education
- Measures that ensure social safety and assist the work of vigorous and high-performing employees
The Gender Equality and Diversity Plan (GEP) contains full details of our ambitions and specific targets for the next three years.
In practice
Diversity
Our ambition is to take advantage of everything that diversity has to offer. And to empower each and every one of our employees to use their unique talents and strengths, so that they, too, add value – for our organization and for our patients.
Gender
Professors hold key academic positions at Radboud university medical center. They provide the academic leadership that shapes the content of our three core tasks: education, research and patient care. Professors are in an excellent position to set an example for colleagues and students. Each professor holds a so-called chair (teaching and research remit). We employ a lot of talented female professionals.
However, there is still a disproportionate percentage of female professors. We strongly believe that this needs to change. As such, in 2021 we have appointed 13 female professors to personal chairs. We are also committed to achieving as much gender balance as possible in all leadership positions. We are proud to say that we have achieved this for the boards of our centers and institutes as well as for the Board of Management.
Radboud university medical center Rainbow
Radboud university medical center has been awarded the “Roze Loper” hallmark by the Institute for the Assurance of Quality and Safety (Instituut Waarborging Kwaliteit en Veiligheid). The Roze Loper aims to promote social acceptance of LGBT+ people in health and welfare institutions. This means that we actively increase awareness of diversity within our organization. We do this, for example, through our code of conduct and e-learning module. We want every patient and employee to feel seen and safe in their sexual and gender identity.
Conduct & behavior
We are considerate of each other’s etiquettes and preferences. read moreConduct & behavior
Good manners are key to delivering personalized care, education and research. We address each other in a way that is appropriate to a person’s preferred form of address. And we are considerate of cultural and religious differences. Should we shake hands or not? Should we make eye contact with someone when talking to them or not? At Radboud university medical center, we engage in conversations about this. It is something that we are all working on, together, every day. Most of the time, things tend to work themselves out naturally, but sometimes you might have questions. We are committed to being an organization where we can talk openly with each other about these issues.
What our colleagues say
Saïda Aoulad Batit Islamic spiritual counselor
'At our hospital, we are mindful of different cultures.’ read moreSaïda Aoulad Batit Islamic spiritual counselor
‘At our hospital, we are mindful of different cultures. For example, we have colleagues who engage with departments to highlight cultural differences in care. It would also be good to have a more diverse staff body. For example, having a nurse with an immigrant background on the ward enriches care and allows you to provide even better care to people of all cultures. Fundamentally, however, it’s not really about your background; it’s more about being willing to listen and be open to each other.’
Mario Vogel HR front office assistant
‘This job has really turned my life around, and I am participating in society again.’ read moreMario Vogel HR front office assistant
‘Mario, do you know how the digital screen works, where I can find new cleaning wipes, and do you happen to have a bicycle pump here?'
These are just some of the questions that Mario Vogel (47) gets asked on any given day as a front office assistant at the HR department. Within the space of just two years, he has managed to establish himself as the department’s go-to person for questions, and everyone knows who he is. He now has a permanent contract, and he has become an indispensable member of the team. Mario certainly isn’t thinking about leaving any time soon. ‘I have a purpose and structure in my life again; I help my colleagues and I feel useful.’
But his path to this job at Radboud university medical center wasn’t easy; there were many bumps along the way. For him, it was literally and figuratively a new beginning. After the job interview he couldn’t believe his ears when, only half an hour later, he received a phone call: ‘You’ve been selected. You’re going to be our new colleague!’. And the timing couldn’t have been better; in the period before that, everything that could have gone wrong in his life, did go wrong. ‘My relationship of more than 20 years ended. I had to look for a new place to live, and I had some health problems. And to top it all off, I lost my job. My life was turned upside down for a while. The last thing I wanted to do was sit at home and claim benefits.’ It is precisely during this period that he wants to feel useful and be among people.
He came across the vacancy for a front office assistant via Werkbedrijf Nijmegen and, despite his limited experience, he decided to apply: ‘What have I got to lose?’.
Thanks to his tenacity, he eventually got the job. ‘I started on 20 hours a week, working at the front desk receiving employees and guests at the Occupational Health Officer’s office. But because of COVID-19, there was less to do. My colleagues and I found extra tasks to do, such as sending out contracts, maintaining the nursing rooms, supervising a fellow assistant and other facility activities. I’m really happy that they gave me a chance, and that they look at who you are as a person rather than just focusing on the perfect picture. This job has really turned my life around, and I am participating in society again.’
Mario now works full-time and is also following a vocational training course through Radboud university medical center to become an administrative staff member.
Radboud university medical center is committed to being an inclusive employer and is proud that we are all working together to achieve this.
Want to join #weareradboudumc?
Would you also like to work for us and be part of #weareradboudumc?
Then contact Nory Burgers, an inclusive employment advisor, for more information.
Hedi Claahsen Pediatric endocrinologist
‘At Radboud university medical center, you can be yourself. We want everyone to feel welcome.’ read moreHedi Claahsen Pediatric endocrinologist
'At Radboud university medical center, we want everyone to feel welcome. Addressing the issue of sex and gender diversity isn’t just a job for our Gender Expertise Center; it’s something that has to take place throughout the organization. We are making good progress in this area, for example by establishing how people want to be addressed. We also have the Radboud university medical center Rainbow working group that focuses on how we treat our colleagues, for example. By addressing this, we as a social organization are saying “yes” to everyone; “yes, you can be yourself here”.’
Heiman Wertheim Professor of Infectious Diseases
‘I expect that women will be able to inspire teams to achieve great things.’ read moreHeiman Wertheim Professor of Infectious Diseases
‘I hope that we will be able to attract women who show a different kind of leadership than what we are currently used to. I expect that women will be able to inspire teams to achieve great things. By bringing in these qualities, I am confident that we professors will be able to bridge the gap between research, teaching and practice more effectively.’
