IES Abroad London – Health Practice & Policy

This program was exactly what I hoped for and then some! For any students interested in healthcare, this is the perfect combination of community engagement and healthcare policy. The courses are very relevant to today's healthcare debates, and the professors are very advanced in their fields. They want to learn from students as much as they want to teach. The program also has a community volunteer placement, which is a great way to work with local initiatives, learn more about a public healthcare system, and engage with locals. The conclusion of the program is spent in Jamaica for ten days, where students are able to shadow in local healthcare clinics, attend lectures at the local university, and explore sights across the island. This was my favorite part of the program and I miss it every day!

I studied abroad in London with the IES London and Jamaica program this past fall semester. Most of the semester was sent in London while the last 10 days of the program was spent in Kingston, Jamaica. This scholarship helped cover the program cost as well help aide in some of my experiences across Europe. In London I took classes with IES and city university of London. In addition to my classes, I volunteered at Maggie’s Cancerkin at the Royal free clinic. Maggie’s is a national charity organization that helps cancer patients adjust and cope with their lives after been diagnosed. This is done through various forms of counselling and therapy sessions. Maggie’s also organizes some social events for its patients. I was heartened by this objective and thought it was a great way for these patients to establish support groups that helps them. I loved my time volunteering there and loved learning about the various cancer therapy sessions patients can undergo. The one class I took that I felt most prepared me for a future career as a nurse was Comparative Health Systems: Great Britain, Europe and the United States with Professor Johal Gurnam. The class talked about the history of the NHS and the current status of it within the UK. The class also talked about the different types of health systems and what some European countries and the U.S. use. We of course also discussed the current ongoing Brexit situation which involves Britain existing the European Union and the impacts this will cause health workers from other countries who travel to Britain for work. I loved learning about the different health disparities in different nations and what government and health professionals could do to ensure an effective care for all. At the end of the semester, we held a symposium on themes surrounding the US Healthcare System. We compared and contrasted various aspects of health under the Obama Administration and Trump Administration. We presented these to our professor and other academic professionals. While taking classes and volunteering, I also got the chance to explore London. Some places I visited were the London Eye, British Parliament, Camden Town , the Sky Garden and the Tower Bridge. My favorite place out of these was the Tower Bridge. It is beautifully constructed, and I didn’t truly feel like I was in London till I walked on that bridge. I also of course got a touristy London pic with a red phone booth to fully capture the experience. Another place I really loved visiting was Camden Town, the buildings were so colorful, and the people were so friendly, walking around it felt like I was part of a community. I learned how a lot of musicians started out in Camden town and some even performed there including one direction and my one of my favorite artists, Adele. The British Parliamentary building was cool as well and I loved learning about the history behind the conservative and labor governments. Although London and Europe shaped my knowledge of the NHS and various other aspects of European Health, I believe that Kingston was the place that impacted me the most and also prepared me for my future as a nurse. In Kingston, we took courses at the University of Mona, west indies taught by various health professionals ranging from nursing professors to public health nurses. we took tours to uptown and downtown Kingston and just by observation, we could notice the environmental and health disparities of the rich uptown people versus the impoverished downtown people. In addition, I personally volunteered at two health clinics, the Edna Manley Clinic and Windward Road Clinic in Kingston.

I loved my time abroad. London is such a wonderful and international city that it was easy to find myself lost in the culture. As a health practice and policy student I was assigned to a service learning placement. I did my placement with Holy Cross Centre Trust and was given opportunities to work hands on in the field of mental health. Whether it was running group sessions, to meeting with my one on one assigned patients, the experience was rich and enlightening. Over seas it was tough making friends at first, however through IES I was able to meet a group of girls that I will forever be close with. It was easy to travel from London, and I took advantage of that to the fullest. IES made it easy to make the most of my experience abroad.