Knowledge of cultures for better care
Bart Verhoeven and Susanne Willemsen chose an international minor in Nursing, and now they are spending three months at the Florida Atlantic University for research, excursions and lessons, such as transcultural health care.
Difficulties to go USA
Bart and Susanne are in their last year of their Nursing study. Bart had already attended an intermediate level in this field during which he had a work placement in Finland. A nice experience, so when he got the chance of an international minor, he and colleague student Susanne made plans
for a placement in the United States. After a few months however this proved to be too complicated for insurance reasons.
A yacht in the backyard
Luckily Susanne’s cousin lived in Boca Raton in Florida. The two students were invited to be her guests. Not bad; she and her partner own a house, a swimming pool and a yacht in the backyard. The family also has contacts at the hospital and the university. So Bart and Susanne could go ahead with their foreign affair. The result is a program of research, lessons and excursions. Bart claims they are the first nursing students of the HAN university with a program at an American university. First they planned to join a research program at the university on children with obesity. These children would spend some weeks in a zoo. Animals feed themselves mostly in a healthy way, and these children could have learned a lot from them. But the plans changed. On the very first day it became clear that not only could the two join the zoo program, but they also had the opportunity to visit hospitals, follow seminars and join a research program at the university.
Last week they attended a seminar about transcultural care. Bart: ‘The presentations were given by Madeleine Leidinger, a pioneer on this subject. At the FAO more nursing theories are being published and used during the nursing course, comparing with my study at the HAN.’
Deep vein thrombosis
Bart and Susanne are closely following the present development of the health system in America. Bart: ‘In the old system it was difficult for people to insure themselves. In the future everyone is insured, but the discussion still goes on.’ This spring they will be working with the children at the zoo for two weeks, but they will also take part in a research program on deep vein thrombosis. That means that when a blood clot is breaking up, there’s a chance it can move to the brain or the lungs. ‘We are involved with a sub-research, retrieving data out of a database. Our task is to search for reports and observe the way they are connected.’
Minor
Everywhere they go they are welcomed enthusiastically. Bart: ‘Maybe because of the well-known health care system in the Netherlands.`The subject of the minor is professional development
in international perspective. Our program fits well into it, although the development of research skills could be an improvement for this minor.’ Unfortunately there’s no fund for Dutch students attending an American University. They even have to pay three hundred dollars a month for the courses. But they don’t complain! Bart states. ‘Now we are here we learn so much. And when we have finished we’ll take a trip through the country.’
