{"id":183207,"date":"2025-11-03T15:56:13","date_gmt":"2025-11-03T14:56:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=183207"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:27:57","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:27:57","slug":"van-kleuterklas-tot-doktersjas-paula-en-isa-groeiden-samen-op-tot-arts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2025\/11\/03\/van-kleuterklas-tot-doktersjas-paula-en-isa-groeiden-samen-op-tot-arts\/","title":{"rendered":"From crayons to clinic: Paula and Isa grew up together to become doctors"},"content":{"rendered":"

Former medical students Paula van Weijen and Isa de Bliek have been friends since kindergarten. Twenty-three years later, they were standing side by side as newly graduated doctors, during their graduation ceremony at Erasmus MC.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Paula (left) and Isa have been friends since kindergarten.<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDaan Stam<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Years before, Isa had been at school for a month already when Paula joined the kindergarten class at the Van Oldenbarneveltschool in Rotterdam-West. \u201cBecause I started so soon after Isa, our coat pegs were next to each other\u201d, Paula recalls. \u201cSo every morning, Isa was the first child I saw at school.\u201d Isa nods. \u201cMy first memory of Paula is that she cried for the entire first month.\u201d Paula laughs. \u201cYes, I hated school.\u201d Isa continues: \u201cI cried at first too, you know. But when Paula arrived, my crying phase was over.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tough girls<\/h2>

From the start, they did everything together: they sang in the school choir, took dance classes and went to children\u2019s parties together. \u201cI still remember that Paula had a princess-themed party for her fifth birthday, and I turned up dressed as a knight\u201d, Isa laughs.<\/p>\n

They say their friendship worked because their personalities were so similar. \u201cWe were energetic kids\u201d, Paula explains. \u201cAlways busy, very active, assertive and a bit tough. We were daring and said what we thought. That\u2019s why we matched so well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>

Paula and Isa match so well because their personalities were so similar.<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tpersonal collection<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Although they were close, they also made other friends and had separate activities over the years. And they didn\u2019t always agree. \u201cWe could argue really well too. Especially in secondary school, we bickered a lot, but it never lasted long\u201d, says Paula. Isa agrees. \u201cYes, we could really yell at each other \u2013 nine times out of ten it was about nothing \u2013 but fifteen minutes later we\u2019d have forgotten all about it and gone out for ice cream.\u201d<\/p>\n

What keeps their friendship so strong is their honesty. \u201cIf Paula wears something I don\u2019t like, I just tell her\u201d, says Isa. \u201cAnd it goes both ways: Paula can be very honest with her opinions too, especially about boys I was dating\u201d, she laughs. \u201cWe can take it from each other, that\u2019s what makes it so good.\u201d<\/p>\n

The same dream<\/h2>
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>

Throughout their studies, Paula and Isa continued to be each other\u2019s biggest support.<\/span><\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>

Their fascination with medicine started early. \u201cIsa\u2019s mother worked in a hospital, so we were both exposed to it from a young age\u201d, Paula explains. At secondary school, they both took part in the Erasmus MC Medical Summer School, and after graduation they applied for the medical degree selection process together.<\/p>\n

While their classmates went on exam trips, Paula and Isa spent three days taking admission tests. \u201cWhen the results came in, I didn\u2019t dare to open the email\u201d, Isa recalls. She phoned Paula, who was in the car on her way home from a family weekend. \u201cWhen we saw we\u2019d both been accepted, we cried on the phone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Throughout their studies, they continued to be each other\u2019s biggest support. \u201cWe spent endless hours on the phone, shared summaries and got each other through it all\u201d, says Paula. \u201cIf one of us had to retake an exam, the other helped with studying. It really was a matter of falling and getting back up together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Full circle<\/h2>
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>

Their graduation ceremony at Erasmus MC felt like a full circle moment.<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tpersonal collection<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>

Their graduation ceremony at Erasmus MC was, without a doubt, their most special shared memory. \u201cIt felt like a full circle moment\u201d, says Isa. \u201cOur families were there, just like they had been for our primary school play and our secondary school graduation. Even our grandmothers were there.\u201d Paula adds: \u201cIt really felt like the crowning moment of 23 years of friendship.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both now work as doctors: Isa in the Surgery department at Ikazia Hospital, and Paula in the Emergency Department at Erasmus MC. \u201cI want to become a urologist\u201d, Isa says. \u201cIt\u2019s a surgical speciality, but a bit more reflective than general surgery. You deal with patients who have sexual or urological problems, and you can also move towards sexology.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paula, on the other hand, thrives on the adrenaline of the Emergency Department. \u201cI love the unpredictability: at the start of the day you never know what\u2019s going to happen, and you constantly have to act on the spot.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t
\n\t\t\u2018We\u2019ve been through so much together, from our first school trip and first heartbreak to the start of our adult lives\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

Friends forever<\/h2>

Both Paula and Isa still live in Rotterdam, now each with a partner. But despite their long friendship, a double wedding isn\u2019t on the cards, they agree. \u201cWe\u2019ll definitely be at each other\u2019s weddings\u201d, says Isa. \u201cBut our tastes are completely different. Paula would want a romantic day with flowers and pastel colours, while I\u2019d probably go for a Shrek theme\u201d, she jokes.<\/p>\n

They have no doubt they\u2019ll remain friends for life. \u201cWe\u2019ve been through so much together, from our first school trip and first heartbreak to the start of our adult lives\u201d, says Paula. \u201cI don\u2019t really have any memories without Paula\u201d, Isa adds. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t even know what it would feel like if we didn\u2019t have each other.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t

De redactie<\/h2>\n\t\t\n\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t