The Royal Palace in Stockholm
Author: Allyson Edwards | Major: Biochemistry | Semester: Summer 2023
My name is Allyson Edwards, and this summer I studied abroad in Sweden with the Health Teams Abroad program. As a Pre-Dental student, I wanted to make sure that the program I chose would provide me with impactful learning experiences that I could utilize as a future clinician. Gaining new perspectives on how the societal values and government policy of a country can affect healthcare provision was a unique opportunity that HTA Sweden allowed me to explore. These new perspectives and experiences encouraged me to view both the Swedish and United States systems through a more thoughtful lens, which highlighted both the good and bad of each approach. Not only this, but this team allowed me to learn to use teamwork with peers, form connections with faculty, and turn classmates from strangers into an academic support system, which will be crucial skills in my first year of dental school.
Both the program instructors and classes were incredible. I was constantly and consistently impressed with the vast amount of knowledge that each speaker possessed, and I felt like each lesson brought new and interesting information to the table. Being able to tour clinics throughout Jonkoping and have meaningful interactions with the medical staff allowed for a more hands-on learning experience that can be hard to come by. We were able to ask questions and hear firsthand the experiences that the staff had in the Swedish healthcare and schooling system.
The way that their system is set up results in doctors, nurses, dentists, therapists, and any other healthcare workers that are earnestly passionate about their field. Each physician we met was intensely dedicated to providing quality care and genuinely eager to share that passion with us. It was incredibly inspiring to see and served as an amazing model for what intentional patient care looks like. Another key observation of mine arose from seeing the level of collaboration between specialties in Sweden. The communication that exists between different professionals is extremely impressive, and it highlighted how beneficial collaboration can be for both the patient and the provider.
Outside of the classroom, studying abroad allowed me to immerse myself in a new culture and live like a Swede for a month. One of the biggest differences I noted abroad was the extensive public transit that existed throughout the country. The bus system in Jonkoping was reliable and easy to navigate, and in Stockholm, taking the metro was an additional option. Sweden also offered a level of safety and accessibility for walking and biking that I’ve never seen before. In both cities we visited, you could walk or bike anywhere without issue. One of my favorite memories from the trip was a bike trip we took across a small island, allowing us to see the beautiful Swedish countryside.
A piece of advice I’d offer a student studying abroad would be to allow yourself to be flexible and tackle each day as it comes. Being in a new country can be overwhelming, but allowing yourself to go with the flow and find joy in the uncertainty of each day is what makes the program worth it. Something I wish I’d known beforehand was to bring a physical journal. I wrote down my daily summaries on my laptop every evening, but I believe that having a physical journal would have elevated the experience and been more personal.
If a student was contemplating applying for this program, I would recommend it to them without hesitation. HTA Sweden deepened my understanding of both the Swedish and United States healthcare systems, which in turn allowed me to piece together the most important aspects of being a quality clinician. I left the program as a better person in every aspect of my life, and I encourage every prospective applicant to seek out opportunities like this that encourage personal growth and critical thinking regarding the world we live in.