My study abroad clinical took me from Argentina's bustling capital of Buenos Aires to the small city of Gualeguay to complete nursing education. We collaborated with a women’s shelter and provided education to young children at several early childhood development centers. The education covered different topics such as nutrition, smoking, gender equality, and women’s sexual health. In addition to completing our educational projects, we also participated in discussions related to femicide, hospice care, and laughter therapy with other healthcare professionals.
When we were not busy completing our educational projects, we had the privilege of visiting several public and private hospitals and a multitude of clinics in Argentina. This allowed us to do a limited comparison of the public and private healthcare facilities within Argentina. During my journey I had some personal experience with Argentina's healthcare system. Two days before we were to board our return flight home I got sick. It was nothing serious but my professor wanted me to go and see a doctor just to be safe before we started our journey home. I went to a private healthcare clinic since that is where our study abroad health insurance was accepted and the experience was not that different to visiting a clinic in the United States. The biggest difference was obviously the language barrier that I now found myself on the other side of. If I did not have my professor (who is fluent in Spanish) and one of our study abroad guides (who was familiar with the clinic) with me the experience would have been completely overwhelming. This experience has given me more compassion for my non-English speaking patients because I can remember my own feelings of being overwhelmed and confused.
Throughout my journey in Argentina, I had the honor of meeting some amazing people, trying new cuisines, and immersing myself in a different culture. I have been told that nothing will expand a person's horizon like traveling and studying abroad, having done so myself I could not agree more. I encourage anyone who has the opportunity to study abroad to do so, you will never have another experience quite like it.