Author: Megan Olmsead | Major: Biochemistry | Semester: Summer 2025
School of Health of Welfare in Jönköping with Sydnee Errico
I chose to study abroad in Sweden with the Health Teams Abroad in Sweden program in order to broaden my perspective on global healthcare systems. Sweden, unlike the United States, has a universal healthcare system that it is widely recognized for, but the true differences lie within their cultural practices and values. Throughout my three short weeks in Jönköping and Stockholm this summer, I was able to gain firsthand experience in both the healthcare system and the daily life of its people, something that expanded my understanding in ways that I could have never anticipated.
In recent years, I have begun to dive deeper into understanding what it truly means to be a healthcare provider. Through my shadowing and work experiences, I have come to realize that beyond directly providing patient care, an enormous part of the role of a provider is understanding how to navigate the healthcare system. This understanding is rooted within a range of areas, from health insurance to pharmaceuticals and social work. This realization sparked my interest in how other countries approach healthcare systemically and personally. Sweden, known for having one of the most accessible healthcare systems in the world, particularly stood out to me, and I was curious to learn if its system is truly as good as it seems.
Before going abroad, part of the program is completing an eight week course in Fayetteville that focuses on healthcare in the United States. During this course, I had the chance to learn from local professionals and participate in site visits in order to gain insight into the tax structure, health insurance, and types of care delivery offered in the United States. Carrying this information with me, I traveled to Sweden to learn about many of the same systems within their structure. While I embarked on this trip with the anticipation of being able to compare the two countries, I left gaining so much more through the people I met, experiences I had, and lessons I was able to learn.
Once in Sweden, we started our three weeks in Jönköping, a smaller city centered around Jönköping University. For me, starting in a smaller city like this was instrumental in creating a perfect environment for the trip. Being in a city of that size allowed me to get a real sense of Swedish culture and its people. It also allowed me to be in an environment that fostered relationships between my fellow classmates and myself. The group of people I was completing this program with really made the trip so impactful for me, from group dinners every night to discussions about healthcare and life in the lobby. Getting the opportunity to have these experiences with other future healthcare providers that had a similar mindset to mine allowed for a much deeper level of conversation than I could have ever imagined. Beyond impacting my educational experience, the other students on the trip became some of my closest new friends and are now relationships that I will forever cherish.
One of the most impactful moments during my time abroad was meeting someone who was in a wheelchair and discussing disability access in both Sweden and the United States. During that particular discussion, my classmates and I also got the opportunity to spend some time experiencing daily life from the perspective of a wheelchair user. Gaining that personal experience and hearing from someone with a disability directly impacted me in ways that a traditional lecture would never be able to, and it opened my mind to thinking about accessibility and empathy in patient care settings and on a day-to-day basis.
After spending time in Jönköping for two weeks focused on visiting clinics and hospitals, we traveled to Stockholm where I was able to experience a lot of the Swedish culture on a larger scale and get to learn about some of the history of Sweden. Stockholm was very different from Jönköping, but both cities gave me a unique experience with Swedish culture and contributed to my understanding of their healthcare system in different ways.
One of the biggest lessons I learned through this trip came from one of the professors from Jönköping University, and it is to always lead with compassion. This simple yet powerful principle is not only applicable in the healthcare setting but in all aspects of life. Both healthcare systems are vastly different, each with their advantages and disadvantages, but as a healthcare provider putting the needs of the patient is the most important thing no matter the system that patient is placed within. While this trip gave me a lot of insight into the strengths and weaknesses of different systems, it also made me realize that as a healthcare provider I will not have control over the system that I have to navigate. Having compassion, in medicinal practice and in life, comes above any other barriers placed by the system. This is a lesson that I will carry with me through the rest of my time at the U of A, through my career, and through life.