International Placement with Philips Healthcare for SHES Student

After finishing the third year of her bachelor’s degree in Sport and Exercise Psychology Katerina Kylisova, who came to Bangor from the Czech Republic decided to participate in Erasmus+ International Exchange internship programme available at Bangor University and further broaden her horizons. 

With the help of Professor Kubis she was offered an internship placement in one of the world-leading healthcare technology companies, Philips in Eindhoven in the Netherlands, which is the headquarters for Philips Research and the birthplace of the whole company.

Describing her internship Katerina said “My internship fell under the Collaborative Care Solutions and my project topic included an intervention for chronic conditions, namely sleep problems which really suited me as I have been very interested in managing and treating chronic conditions using non-pharmacological methods several years. Some of the modules I took at Bangor University offered an insight into this research area, for instance Introduction to Mindfulness Approaches, Biological Psychology, Physical Activity and Health, and Exercise for Clinical Population. I decided to design an intervention involving physical activity, stress reducing methods such as mindfulness meditation, and the combination of both (namely yoga) targeting problem sleepers.” 

Although sleep problems may not seem closely linked to a BSc Sport and Exercise Psychology degree Katerina  found that “This internship fitted well with the curriculum of my bachelor’s degree where I had learned about the link between mental and physical health and about psychological phenomena, which impair physical performance.”

Reflecting on the personal impact of her international placement as part of her Bangor degree she said “This internship made me want to explore more countries I am not familiar with. I feel like stepping out of one’s comfort zone and facing unknown challenges strengthens the character and teaches people to deal with pressure.”
Her experiences on the internship have helped clarify her future career aspirations and Katerina is now looking forward to further study on an MSc Health Psychology degree.

You can read her full placement report to gain a more in depth insight into her experiences with Philips in the Netherlands on her international placement from Bangor University. 

Publication date: 10 July 2020