Staying on track while seeing the world: Study abroad opportunities in health careers

“It was so impactful,” Yang says. “It was nice to be able to gain that global perspective and see how other places operate, how their healthcare system works and almost start a passion for learning about different global health systems.”

Yang attended Khon Kaen University International College in northeast Thailand. Through UW-Eau Claire’s partnership with the University Studies Abroad Consortium, an international education provider, she received a tailored curriculum for her summer pre-health internship program. After completing introductory courses in Thai language and the Thai healthcare system, she spent five weeks shadowing a doctoral student within the Khon Kaen University’s pharmaceutical science department.

“She was researching the anticancer effects of Thai traditional herbs, which is super interesting,” Yang says. “We don’t have a pharmaceutical science department here (at UW-Eau Claire), so I wanted to explore more of that and get my feet in the water.”

The internship component was crucial for Yang, who recently wrote about her experiences in applications to pharmacy schools and aspires to bring a global perspective to her future healthcare work in the U.S.

Cultural awareness breeds confidence

Denali Huebner, a fourth-year nursing major, is currently living out a childhood dream of studying abroad through another opportunity in England. The Westby native is spending the fall semester at Harlaxton College, a Victorian manor operated by the University of Evansville that has hosted UW-Eau Claire students for more than 20 years.

As she takes classes on British literature and history, Huebner is also completing clinical and leadership courses in nursing that satisfy UW-Eau Claire’s curriculum and keeps her on schedule to graduate in four years. The Harlaxton experience is also providing important lessons on flexibility and adaptability in learning, cultural awareness and confidence.

“I am so thankful that I took advantage of this opportunity to study abroad. Before I left, I was so scared and nervous that I wasn’t going to be able to do it,” Huebner says. “However, once I got here and put myself out there, I realized how amazing this experience is. I’m not done yet, but I know this is going to be a period of my life that I look back on forever.”

Another longstanding option for nursing and pre-health students is in Puebla, Mexico. Thanks to a partnership with the Universidad Popular Autonoma del Estado de Puebla, A.C., Blugolds gain an unparalleled, firsthand understanding of a dual public-private healthcare system during a convenient, affordable six-week summer term.

Students gain direct exposure to medical procedures and patient care dynamics through multisetting rotations and observations in public and private hospitals and clinics. They speak Spanish daily through interactions with providers, patients and host families. Many students develop essential bilingual and cross-cultural competencies through the program while completing the requirements for UW-Eau Claire’s Spanish for health professions minor.

“The language skills you're going to gain if you're in Spanish to do that full six weeks and living with a host family is completely different than anything else,” says Anna Dresnack, study abroad manager for CIE. “It is really for that very particular student who is so aware and passionate of what good healthcare looks like.”

Every study abroad experience includes intentionally designed cultural exploration, permitting students to fully immerse themselves in the heritages, histories and diverse landscapes of their destination.

Careful planning is key

Creanna Cote, assistant director of the Health Careers Center, has spent 10 years mapping out study abroad plans with students. She believes meeting with her office and the CIE early in students' academic journey is critical to achieving personal and professional goals.

“Usually, most study abroad trips take a year from when you apply to when you go. It might seem intimidating for a first-year student to start thinking about that,” she says. “If you ask and you're curious and you get connected to the right people, this campus wants to help make those things happen.”

Cote and Dresnack work together to ensure health students are taking the right courses or exams at the right time and that transcripts for professional schools are in good standing. Both advisors stress that there is time to study abroad with careful planning.

“Do not think it's impossible because you have too many other things to do,” Cote says. “This can be one of those things that helps you get to where you want to go.”

Now that Yang is back from her trip, she is helping other students capitalize on opportunities as a CIE study abroad intern.

“It is such a neat experience to go abroad for however many weeks or even months for a price that’s very neatly laid out,” Yang says. “There are scholarships that are offered. There are just so many opportunities for students to gain funding.”

From her short time in Thailand, Yang gained knowledge, skills and friendships that will last a lifetime. She messages several students from her program daily about her path to graduation and pharmacy school.

“It is really neat to have friends from all over the world and the nation,” she says.