Brittni Paul, Healthcare Delivery in Switzerland Summer 2023
The unique part about my study abroad experience is that the program did not require any academic classes rather it revolved around attending lectures at universities and learning about research projects as well as the process to obtain a degree in healthcare. We would travel to each of the respected facilities, listen to the speakers, then have the opportunity to ask questions and share our own experiences as nursing students in America. In addition, the group toured hospitals allowing the opportunity to compare and contrast healthcare facilities in the United States compared to Switzerland. In the United States, the only way to obtain a bachelor’s degree in nursing is to attend a four-year undergraduate program or do an accelerated bachelor’s program if you already have a bachelor’s degree in another major. Both of these bachelor’s programs include academic courses and clinical hours. Unlike the United States, nurses in Switzerland earn their degrees through apprenticeships. We had the opportunity to tour private hospitals in Zurich as well as both the psychiatric and children’s hospitals in Basel. The private hospital in Zurich had birthing suites double the size of rooms in America, including birthing baths. The private hospital also had a spa which promoted wellness for the patients. The psychiatric hospital was founded on the importance of autonomy for patients which prohibits an enclosed environment for the patients. We had the opportunity to meet with the doctors who are in charge of animal therapy and heroin-assisted therapy treatment. Out of all three hospitals, the children’s hospital was most comparable to the hospitals in America.
Other educational activities included trips to United Nations Headquarters in Geneva, World Health Organization in Geneva, and the Red Cross Museum in Geneva. At the United Nations, we learned about the process of having all the countries gather together to make decisions and we even had the opportunity to listen to some conferences. At World Health Organization, we celebrates 75 years of the organization and learned about some of their current projects. The Red Cross Museum was an interactive museum where was saw exhibits from occurrences in history such as wars where their services were needed. We listened to holograms of people who were apart of some of the missions or who received help from Red Cross. In addition, we had the opportunity to read letters from children who were saved and reunited with families because of the Red Cross.
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