My name is Marie Bruck and I am a rising senior studying Communication Sciences & Disorders. During the summer, I spent three weeks in Sweden participating in the University of Arkansas’s health team abroad program. As an aspiring speech-language pathologist, I had the unique opportunity to compare the health care systems between the United States and Sweden alongside other students with similar aspirations. This specific program stuck out to me because of its interprofessional team-based learning approach, which directly applied to my future career as a speech-language pathologist because one of our main roles is to collaborate with other health care professionals to help best treat our clients. The program included a total of six credit hours, including an eight-week pre-departure course, study visits to various healthcare clinics, and diverse learning experiences that encouraged clinical thinking about the policy, practice, and societal impact on health-related services.

A picture from the day of class where Christoffer talked with us about his life experience in a wheel chair.

While in Sweden, our classes in Jonkoping fostered an interactive learning approach allowing US and Swedish students the opportunity to discuss the different healthcare systems and how each one supports individuals in their communities. The Swedish healthcare system is primarily government-funded, financed through taxes, and universal for all citizens. One of the most impactful moments occurred during one of our first days of class when we heard from Christoffer about his life experience with disability. Christoffer was born a normal boy but he became paralyzed later in his life due to a tragic accident. His positive outlook on life was powerful and his open-mindedness was contagious. To gain additional insight, he challenged us to put ourselves in his position by completing a variety of everyday tasks in a wheelchair. After talking with him for a few hours, you could tell that everyone in the room’s perspective had grown regarding access for individuals with disabilities. This experience single-handedly changed my life forever and it doesn’t stop here.

Before the trip, I thrifted an old digital camera to capture memories from this experience and was later named the designated “camera lady.” I loved getting to getting to photograph all of my new friends throughout this experience.

Over the course of this trip, I had the opportunity to learn from my fellow classmates both intentionally and unintentionally through communication, interprofessional teamwork, exploring Sweden, and working together towards the common goal of helping others. As this program concluded, I found myself overwhelmed with how much I learned both inside and outside of the classroom. I am leaving Sweden with 20 new friends, a whole new perspective regarding culture and health care, as well as a variety of connections with health care professionals around the world. Before this trip, I felt so out of my comfort zone traveling to a country I knew almost nothing about with a group of strangers but now thinking back on the experience it was the group of people I was with that helped make the experience as special as it was. The most valuable lesson I learned throughout this experience was the importance of open mindedness and how I can apply this idea to all areas of my life including my future career as a speech-language pathologist. This experience helped remind me that there is so much more to people than what you see on the outside emphasizing the importance of listening and empathy. This trip will forever play a prominent role in my life and continue to help grow my perspective as a future healthcare professional.