Programs Abroad:
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Penn Global Seminar (PGS): Health and the Healthcare System in Chile, Travel to Chile
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Nursing Elective Course: Maternal and Infant Care in the Americas, Travel to Guatemala
Ask me about...
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Global Health
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Clinical work abroad in another language
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Preparing charlas (teachings) for different populations
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How to fit time abroad into a packed nursing schedule
My Experience Abroad:
As a nursing major the connection between a comparative health system course and another on maternal and infant care is not too hard to understand. However, neither is an experience every nursing student has. Shortly after arriving at Penn as a freshman and looking at sector requirement and opportunities I noticed all the classes I wanted to take, besides those that were required, fit under a global health minor. As I continue to study and go abroad, I become increasingly aware of the importance of cultural humility and seeking to understand health and illness perception and care in different cultures. In Chile, I was able to join with other students outside of nursing, each of us bringing a unique background, to explore another healthcare system looking at economics, policy, demographics, geography, and culture. In Guatemala, I took knowledge from all my classes and applied it as I engaged in health promotion activities in the community working alongside local community health workers, midwives, traditional birth attendants, nurses, and doctors. Both courses allowed me to journey physically to a new place, but also mentally into another way of approaching healthcare.
Other Highlights:
Chile
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Hiking Cerro Manquehue, the tallest peak in Santiago
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New Year's Eve fireworks and celebrations in Viña del Mar
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Visiting the homes of Pablo Neruda
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Pursuing independent research topics and investigating them through clinical site visits, seminars, and interviewing other students and healthcare professionals
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Vineyard tour in la Isla Negra
Guatemala
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Organizing a Heart Health Walk for an elementary school through the town with chants, songs, games, signs, and full student and parent participation
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Shadowing Traditional Birth Assistants and Midwives
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Triaging at both rural clinics and hospitals
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Having a beautiful volcanic lake to swim in after a day of work
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Being able to deliver hygiene packs made by my high school to young women in a school in Solala and teach them health with a giant felt uterus
