<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2sDn4n_0usx8BN400" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2sDn4n_0usx8BN400" width="1000" height="600" >Twenty-nine students from JMU traveled to Alicante, Spain, and Prague, Czech Republic, over the summer for the Global Healthcare Europe Study Abroad experience. Led by Jill Lassiter, assistant professor of Health Sciences, and Sharon Maiewski, associate professor of Health Professions, the group visited several medical facilities to observe how healthcare systems are implemented here and abroad over the two-week trip.“We start with a history of healthcare,” said Lassiter. The group discusses “the history and structure of the healthcare system” they are visiting.“After that, we go to facilities such as a public hospital, a private hospital, and a variety of other types of clinics,” said Lassiter.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=17slir_0usx8BN400" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=17slir_0usx8BN400" width="310" height="400" ></figure>“At every place we visited, we did a tour of the facility, and then we met with the providers who work there for a Q&amp;A,” said Lassiter. The group started the question session by asking the clinicians what they believed worked well or could improve in the healthcare system of the country, then they discussed specifics for that particular settingBefore the group left for the trip, they participated in a similar discussion with local providers in the Harrisonburg area.“When we’re abroad, we see really big differences between the private and public healthcare systems,” said Lassiter.Senior Nursing major Anna Rehpelz, who attended the trip, enjoyed visiting the healthcare facilities. “Seeing public and private facilities was impactful in comparing them to America,” said Rehpelz.Neeka Ganji, a senior Health Science major, noted something she learned through the trip was “not all healthcare services are free,” even in countries that provide universal healthcare. For example, Ganji learned that dental services are not included in government provided healthcare and operate as private practices in Spain.Outside of clinical visits, the study abroad group also participated in several cultural experiences, including cooking classes, dance classes, and outdoor adventures. <figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3Mo2Wv_0usx8BN400" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3Mo2Wv_0usx8BN400" width="310" height="310" ></figure>“We had a cooking class where we made paella, which is a dish with rice and seafood,” said Ganji. “We did flamenco dancing, that was really fun. We also went to a lagoon where they had waterfalls that were really beautiful to see.”“I loved the walking tours, seeing the infrastructure and old buildings like castles, churches, and cathedrals,” said Rehpelz.The cultural experiences also served to reinforce a practical understanding on how healthcare systems form and the impact of healthcare systems on individuals.“You really can’t pull healthcare out of culture,” said Lassiter. “The way we think culturally dictates so much about the way that we interact with the healthcare system and the way it’s structured.”While on cultural excursions, the students were encouraged to ask locals about their views on the healthcare system, similar to the discussions had with clinicians.“[The locals] live here and go to the doctor here. Sometimes students learn as much [about healthcare systems] from their paddleboard instructor or cooking class instructor as they do from a healthcare provider, because they’re real people giving their honest opinions about what they think about health,” said Lassiter.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1tmKVa_0usx8BN400" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1tmKVa_0usx8BN400" width="310" height="310" ></figure>One important takeaway for students Lassiter observed was that “they learned that universal healthcare means a lot of different things.”“It is implemented very differently in different countries. That’s part of why we go to two different countries,” said Lassiter. “There are really great things about it, and there are really big challenges. They get a broader picture of healthcare systems that you just don’t get from reading a textbook.”For a final project, students analyze case studies for patients with various conditions, including high-risk pregnancy or an athlete who tore their ACL, and consider what country’s healthcare system could provide the best care.“They start to see that different systems are better at different things,” said Lassiter. She explains this exercise, and the trip overall, helps students understand that there is no “one size fits all” approach to healthcare or healthcare systems. “It’s really good for perspective,” she said.A wide range of majors were represented within the study abroad group. “Some of the people that came on the trip, I would never have met at JMU,” said Rehpelz. “Hearing perspectives from other majors, like health science versus political sciences was cool to have in our conversations.”“I hope that by seeing these different ways of thinking about health and wellness more generally, they bring that back to their own settings,” said Lassiter. “I hope they’re more open minded, slower to judge or assume, and more critical in the way they think about healthcare in general.”</div></body>

Mountain View, CA

NewsBreak

European study abroad enriches perspectives on healthcare systems

Twenty-nine students from JMU traveled to Alicante, Spain, and Prague, Czech Republic, over the summer for the Global Healthcare Europe Study Abroad experience. Led by Jill Lassiter, assistant professor of Health Sciences, and Sharon Maiewski, associate professor of Health Professions, the group visited several medical facilities to observe how healthcare systems are implemented here and abroad over the two-week trip.