The view at the top of the Mountain in the Dolomites

Author: Angela Wurzer | Major: Nursing

Academics

Studying abroad always felt like an unattainable opportunity, catered to those students who had perfect grades, leadership qualities, and a fearless personality. I, on the other hand, could not fathom leaving the comforts of home for a mere 24 hours, let alone a whole semester. I became more determined however, that I wanted to break my habitual mold and experience the “unattainable.”

I chose the Nursing Across the Lifespan in Rome program because it was designed specifically for nursing students and provided an opportunity to experience first-hand the healthcare system of a different country through clinical experience in the largest teaching hospital in Italy. During the final zoom preparation meetings my anticipation grew; it wasn’t until I stepped out of the airport for the first time that I truly realized I was in Rome, Italy.

Classes were held at Palazzo Taverna, the University of Arkansas’ Rome Center campus. It was a gorgeous building with classroom walls lined with frescoes. It was surreal to attend classes there every week. My favorite part of each week was taking the train to Gemelli Hospital where we did our pediatrics clinical rotation. The teaching hospital was huge! We were able to observe the nurses in many pediatric wings such as wound care, oncology, neuromuscular, psychiatric, medical surgical, NICU, and ICU. I was able to learn so much at Gemelli hospital and found the differences in patient care in Italy versus the US quite interesting. For example, all Italians have access to free healthcare, however, this made wait times in some departments, such as the ER, longer as more people have access to care.

I took all my J2 nursing courses at the Rome Center as well as an Italian culture and language course. This course brought in guest speakers who talked about many different aspects of Italy and Italian culture such as food, cinema, the role of Italy within the EU, Dante’s influence on Italian architecture, art, and design. We also were given regional tours of other areas within Rome such as Tivoli, Orvieto, and Ostiense, as well as attend a cooking class and art tour. This course really helped me to understand Italian customs and culture as well as learn a bit of the language. I think taking this course while in Rome was more beneficial than if I were to have taken it at the University of Arkansas because I was better able to utilize the information I learned outside of the classroom. This helped me to have a greater appreciation for the Italian language and culture.

Culture

With the increasing number of Covid cases within Europe, it was difficult to plan travels outside of Italy. We however found this minor inconvenience advantageous as we were able to experience more areas within Italy such as Florence, Amalfi, Positano, The Dolomites, Tuscany, Milan, and Naples. It was interesting to note the differences between each city and region. Much like how there are cultural differences between northern and southern United States, Italy as well held notable differences between the north and south. For example, in northern Italy near the Austrian border I noticed there was a pronounced German influence on the architecture, food, and German was posted on signs and during train announcements in addition to Italian.

The trip to the Dolomites in the Sudtirol region of northern Italy was one of my favorite places to visit. We spent the weekend mountain biking and hiking. The view at the top of the trail we hiked on was breathtaking. I remember standing at the top and feeling so accomplished and satisfied with all of the hard work that led me to that moment.

One of the biggest culture shocks I encountered during the first few weeks in Rome was that for breakfast, many Italians prefer to have a cornetto (croissant) and a cappuccino or espresso shot. Since I am used to having big breakfasts back at home and easy access to all kinds of breakfast and brunch places, this came as quite a shock to me. One of aspects of living in Italy that I will miss the most is how easy it was to commute to different places, whether that be on foot, taking the train, metro, or bus. Walking the 20 minutes to the Rome Center every morning for classes slowly became one of my favorite parts of the day.

Advice

I would absolutely recommend this study abroad program to other nursing students. It isn’t everyday that you are able to have clinical experiences at one of the biggest hospitals in Italy. Plus, with the small group of nursing students (12-20) you get to know each other very well and gain friendships that will last you for the remainder of nursing school and into post-graduate life. Something I wish I would have known beforehand was how much walking we do everyday! You definitely need a good pair of walking shoes that will last you for many months. Comfort is a must. You might look stunning and beautiful in those pair of platforms, but I would suggest leaving them at home. Another word of advice I would offer to those thinking about studying abroad or are soon heading to their abroad destination is to just go for it! Life is too short to worry about the small things, and while it is scary and unknown, you are not alone and there are so many people on your side cheering you on. I promise you, it is worth it, worth it, worth it! The very first thing I’m going to do when I get home is give my cats a BIG hug. Rome is home to many friendly stray cats who always welcome a few pets but nothing is quite like squeezing your own cat when you’ve missed them like crazy for 4 months.