Illinois Wesleyan: School of Nursing

Travel Opportunities

Students at the School of Nursing have the opportunity to take special travel courses during the University’s May Term to study Transcultural Nursing in Hawaii or liberal arts courses throughout the world.

Additional study abroad opportunities promote enhanced language skills and cultural immersion in countries such as Italy, Mexico or Denmark.

Italy

Above, from left: Anne Wessels '09, Erica Sierszulski '09, Jacqueline Lippe '08 and Kim Wolski '08 atop the leaning tower of Pisa. Below, Wessels and Sierszulski pose with the statue of Florence Nightingale in the Vatican in Rome.

Vatican

Renaissance Italy
This travel course introduces students firsthand to the art, architecture, literature, and history of Renaissance Italy. Students explore the concept of intellectual inquiry for which the Renaissance is famous. Students study Classical and Renaissance Rome, Byzantine art, churches, palaces, ruins, museums, and more. Cities visited include Rome, Ostia Antica, Assisi, Ravenna, Urbino, Verona, Venice, Padua, Florence, Pisa, and others. There are also opportunities to explore the present-day culture of each city.

Cuerna Vaca, Mexico

Jenifer Becker '07 (left) and Lindsey Deets '07 in Cuerna Vaca

Universidad Internacional
The Center for Bilingual Multicultural Studies
www.uninter.edu.mx

Students with a Spanish Minor, or those wishing to learn and/or improve their Spanish speaking skills may travel to this fully accredited University and Spanish Language school in Cuernavaca, Mexico. Students may stay for one week, or a number of weeks, and are immersed in the Spanish language and culture while staying with Mexican host families. A variety of course offerings are available.

Alissa Sherman, '08, writes about her May term travel experience:

"Illinois Wesleyan's unique May Term experience allowed me to study abroad in Mexico through an independent study program. I studied at la Universidad Internacional in Cuernavaca, Mexico in a language immersion program. Not only did I gain confidence, fluency, and friends, but I also gained a lifetime of cultural experiences. Cuernavaca is called the city of eternal springtime because of its yearlong mild climate and its gorgeous scenery. Its European charm and Mexican warmth make it a safe and inviting town where international students interact freely with Mexican students and locals. At la Universidad Internacional, classes are made of no more than five students, and students can choose to take classes such as Hispanic short stories, art, history, and grammar. By going through Illinois Wesleyan University's Study Abroad Program, I pre-approved my credits to transfer Spanish credits for my Hispanic Studies minor and a literature general education flag. Traveling to Cuernavaca allowed me to meet people from Germany, Switzerland, France, Canada, and Japan! After school activities run by the university gave me an opportunity to learn salsa dancing, play soccer with the locals, cook Mexican food, and even learn capoeira, the Brazilian martial art. Each weekend, the school sponsors guided trips to various places in Mexico: Mexico City, Acapulco, Taxco, Teotihuacan, Mayan temples, the hacienda de Cortes, and more! Thanks to my experience at Illinois Wesleyan University, I know I will succeed as a nurse with cultural experience, fluency in Spanish, and a highly regarded degree from the School of Nursing."

Nursing in Scandinavia

Denmark's International Study Program
www.discopenhagen.org

Denmark's International Study Program is a specialized Danish institution offering university-level study abroad programs for primarily American university students. Courses are taught in English by Danish faculty.

While in Copenhagen discover:

The complexity of health, nursing and patient care problems in Scandinavia,
The clinical working methods of Danish nurses,
A comparative understanding of American and Scandinavian health care and nursing systems,
Academic development in your chosen area of clinical nursing.

Melissa Giegerich, '06, writes about her travel experience:

In June I left the USA and made my way to Denmark. There, I spent six weeks exploring Scandinavian health care through lectures, field studies, clinicals, and study tours. While I was there, I took classes at the Copenhagen School of Nursing and had my clinical observations in Rigshospitalet, the royal hospital of Denmark.
As part of my coursework, I went on two study tours. The first trip was to Western Denmark. We went to the Danish Nursing History Museum which tracked the complete history of nursing in Denmark and we went to a nursing home where we met a 101 year old lady who had received a letter of recognition from the queen of Denmark. We also had the opportunity to go on a home health visit with a home health visitor. In addition, we saw many things not related to nursing, such as the town Ribe, which was founded in the year 700 by Vikings. We went to an open air museum which consisted of a collection of historical buildings from all over Denmark, and a Danish Art museum.
Later in the course, we went on another study tour to Stockholm Sweden. There we visited a palliative care ward, a cardiac rehabilitation ward, and, my favorite stop, the children’s hospital. While we were in Sweden, we did a lot of shopping and we toured the royal palace. I think my favorite thing from that trip was seeing the sunset at 11:30 at night. Stockholm is made up of 14 islands and when the sun sets, the city glows.
My clinical placement was in obstetrics. I thought I would be in labor and delivery, but when I arrived I discovered that obstetrical nursing is very different from what nurses do in obstetrics in the US. Nurses are not involved in labor and delivery. In fact, they are not on the labor and delivery floors at all. Midwives, which have completely separate training from nurses, do the majority of maternal care until after the birth. Obstetricians will intervene only if there is a problem.
During my last three days in clinicals, I saw, and assisted in, five births. It was absolutely amazing. Although nursing has the same foundation across the world, I was shocked to see the many small differences in the way nurses care for patients. Compared to American Nursing, Danish nursing consists of a less active role in patient care. The nurse’s role is based on supportive and educational care. Nurses in the US have a more proactive role in patient care.
From my time in the Danish hospitals, I have gained a new perspective. As you probably would have guessed, English is not the native language of Denmark, Danish is. While I was in the hospital, I was surrounded by Danish all the time, with the occasional explanation in English from my nursing preceptor. I gained a new perspective on what it must be like for a foreign speaking patient or employee in an English speaking hospital.
Overall, I think that my involvement in this program will have a great impact on me, personally and professionally. I hope that if you have an opportunity to do something like this you will take advantage of it. From this experience, I made friends that live on the other side of the globe, I saw things I never would have seen, I felt things I never would have felt, and I experienced things I never would have experienced. This trip changed my life.

Transcultural Nursing in Hawaii

Above, senior nursing students give the "nursing salute" while experiencing history at the ship's anchor at the Pearl Harbor Memorial. Below, Sarah "Melody" Smith '07, Katy Dirkes '07 and Katie Green '07 practice a fighting techinque while learning about the culture and people of New Zealand at Hawaii's Polynesian Culture Center.

This very popular course is taught by Illinois Wesleyan University School of Nursing Faculty who travel with students to Hawaii for three weeks. The focus is on the influence of historical, geographical, and cultural characteristics of care delivery on the island. Students develop a foundation of resources for meeting the basic needs of clients with varied cultural backgrounds. Three islands are visited.