Emma Hulbert at the ruins of Nas Castle in Jonkoping County, Sweden

Author: Emma Hulbert | Major: Nursing | Semester: Summer 2023

Hello! My name is Emma Hulbert and I am a nursing major in the college of education and health professions. This summer, I had the amazing opportunity to study abroad in Jonkoping, Sweden with 4 faculty members and 15 other students from the University of Arkansas. This study abroad program stimulated me academically and expanded my knowledge of and engagement in Swedish culture.

As this experience is centered around expanding the students’ knowledge of the healthcare systems of both the United States and Sweden, it is crucial to address how this program benefited me academically. First, I chose this program because upon reading the program description, I realized how little I knew about the healthcare system of the United States, and even less about that of Sweden. I was very excited to, through study visits and classroom discussions, learn about how people pay for and receive medical services in the United States. We discussed Medicare/Medicaid and different insurance programs available to different patients. In Sweden, we toured several public and private healthcare facilities and learned about their universal public healthcare system. We learned that, through funds generated from higher taxes, Sweden provides citizens quality healthcare at little or no cost to them. However, we were also informed that care facilities tend to have longer wait times in Sweden, due to provider shortages. My long-term professional goal is to work as a nurse practitioner in a healthcare facility. This study abroad program, and its associated study visits helped me narrow down the patient populations and healthcare settings with and in which I would like to practice. The classes and instructors were all wonderful in this study abroad program. We attended lectures given by Swedish healthcare workers in different fields: occupational therapy, prosthetics, pediatrics, etc. in which they shared their own experiences regarding providing care in Sweden. The classes were very interactive and were often a conversation between the students and the presenter, as we were eager to learn about the topics and they were eager to share information and experiences.

Sweden offered many opportunities for cultural exploration and engagement. Abroad, we had the opportunity to visit several breathtaking cathedrals, hike to picturesque waterfalls, and bike to a remote island light house. The people in Sweden operate with the same mentality as my mother: Everything is “walking distance”. My study abroad friends and I would often walk over 10 miles a day, bouncing from sight to sight, eager to see and do it all. We also became experts at traveling by bus, tram, train, and plane as a few of us took a weekend excursion to Copenhagen, Denmark. Perhaps the most authentic cultural experience that we were blessed with was being in Stockholm during midsummer, one of the most highly celebrated holidays in Sweden. We made flower crowns, witnessed people dancing around the may pole, and listened to traditional music. It was a culturally enriching experience none of us will soon forget.

Finally, I would like to offer a few words of advice for other students considering studying abroad. My advice could be summed up in two words: DO IT, but I will happily elaborate. I would highly recommend studying abroad to any student considering it! It is an amazing experience to learn in a new environment, to form friendships and professional relationships with new people, and to learn more about a culture and lifestyle different than your own. I especially recommend this health teams abroad study abroad program to any students wanting to enter the medical field because it invites students of all background and future medical aspirations to work together to learn about a healthcare system different than our own. The format of the program also fosters conversations between study abroad students in which we discussed our individual motivation behind pursuing a place in the healthcare field, as well as our passions for continuing our education. To have a successful study abroad experience, I would advise bringing comfy walking shoes, clothes for every type of weather, and a friendly, kind attitude towards everyone you meet!