A fixed clinical base strengthens medical students in Esbjerg
Medical students at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) in Esbjerg are attached to the same hospital department throughout their master’s degree programme. This benefits both the students and the employers who recruit them after graduation, according to recent experiences.
When SDU admitted its first cohort of medical master’s students in Esbjerg in 2022, the so-called departmental model became a central part of the programme structure. Under this model, students are attached to the same hospital department one day a week during the first two years of the programme.
In total, this amounts to 48 days, during which they take part in the department’s daily work and follow both doctors and other healthcare professionals.
The first cohorts have now completed the programme, and evaluations point overall to a strong and well-functioning learning experience that prepares students for clinical practice.
– After completing their studies, students have gained a clear understanding of what is expected of a junior doctor. This means they are less likely to experience the transition shock that can occur when entering clinical practice, says Torben Knudsen, clinical professor and vice head of studies for the medical programme at SDU and chief of staff for education and research at Esbjerg and Grindsted Hospital.
This experience is also reflected in the clinics where newly graduated doctors begin their careers.
– We find that doctors who have been part of the departmental model are more self-assured when they start their foundation training. They are familiar with workflows in a hospital department and generally more accustomed to seeing patients, making relevant clinical assessments, and seeking knowledge and supervision, says Lone Gabriels Klinge, chief consultant at the Department of Medicine for Gastroenterology, Rheumatology, Haematology and Palliative Care at Esbjerg and Grindsted Hospital.
Becoming part of everyday clinical practice
Students in Esbjerg complete the same short clinical placements across different departments as students in Odense. In addition, they are attached to a department through the departmental model during the first two years of the master’s programme and also complete placements in general practice.
This means they do not only observe, but gradually take on tasks under supervision and become part of the professional community.
Contact
Torben Knudsen, clinical professor and vice head of studies for the medical programme at SDU and chief of staff for education and research at Esbjerg and Grindsted Hospital.
”It felt very reassuring to be in the same place when trying out the role of a doctor for the first time. You got to know the people around you, which made it much easier to ask for help and feedback. I quickly felt like part of the team and that I contributed in a meaningful way, as I was given tasks I could handle under supervision.
A sense of security enhances learning
Evaluations from 2022 to 2025 show that a large majority of students experience the departmental model as a safe learning environment to a high or very high degree. Similarly, they report receiving good supervision and feeling better prepared for their future roles as doctors.
– We particularly note that students perceive the departmental model as a safe learning environment with good supervision. This provides a strong foundation for learning. There is no doubt that the continuity built into the model plays a key role in creating this sense of security, says Torben Knudsen.
According to him, the aim is not to shield students from the complexity of clinical practice, but to provide a framework in which they can learn to navigate it.
Transitioning into the role of doctor
The continuous attachment also means that students gradually build experience with clinical workflows and responsibility.
– It definitely made me feel better prepared to work as a doctor. I already had experience communicating with patients, receiving supervision, and making decisions with increasing independence in a safe setting. That made the transition into the role much less daunting, says Sara Vejlgaard Kristensen, foundation doctor in general practice.
A model under development
The departmental model has been continuously adjusted based on evaluations and dialogue with students and teaching staff.
At the same time, the scheme is being expanded with new departments. In September 2025, a group of students were, for the first time, attached to a department in general practice as part of the model. Psychiatry has also joined the scheme.
– It is important that we continuously evaluate and refine the model. The most recent initiative has been to include general practice and to consolidate the placement into one fixed day per week, says Torben Knudsen.
Regional roots and the doctors of the future
The establishment of the medical programme in Esbjerg should also be seen in light of the uneven distribution of doctors in Denmark. There is a particular need for doctors in southern and western Denmark, including in general practice and psychiatry.
Experience shows that many doctors later work in the region where they trained. Close ties to local departments can therefore have both professional and geographical significance.
Torben Knudsen also observes this tendency among medical students in Esbjerg.
– For many, personal and professional relationships play a decisive role in future career choices. This likely explains why decentralised medical education programmes are successful in retaining newly graduated doctors in the regions where they are trained.
The first doctors trained in Esbjerg graduated in 2025, and the programme was expanded the same year from 30 to 50 places on the master’s programme. From autumn 2026, a bachelor’s degree programme in medicine will also be established at SDU Esbjerg.