By Cheryl Doss

The semester is only seven weeks old, and already our new students are starting to think about their cross-culture experience.  And although the experience happens in May, it takes months to plan and prepare the required course.  The trip of a lifetime includes observing health care delivered to underserved populations and full emersion into the culture through housing, food, and recreational activities.  Students are also expected to read about the area in which they will be visiting, write in journals, and share with fellow students.

We begin by choosing the destination options for our students.  The experience is richer when at least two students travel to the same area, so locations are limited for students.  Once the locations are selected, the professor and Program Coordinator will meet with students to discuss the timeline of the course, expectations, vaccinations needed, expected budgets, and answer questions.  Students will have several weeks to consider where they want to go before they fill out a survey ranking their choices.

Once it is decided who is going where, the students and staff make arrangements for travel.  Additionally, students may also have a video conference with the host clinic or program.  Other behind the scene arrangements are also made, including lodging and processing expenses.

With the conclusion of the spring semester, students will have a week to make the mental adjustment from traditional academic study to experiential learning.  Prior to travel, students will spend three days with faculty in preparation for completing reading assignments, what to expect during their two-week stay, and how to handle challenges.

And, just like that, two weeks have come and gone, and the students have returned to campus.  It is important to hold a debriefing for students to help them process what they have seen and experienced.  This ensures our students transition back to their normal lives without issue.  Reflection on how the experience has changed them as people and their global view is a meaningful and important part of the debriefing.  With the conclusion of the course, our hope is our students will proceed in their studies with a clearer vision of the type of practitioner they would like to be and a better understanding of how different our health system is from other areas, domestic and international.

While the planning can take months in order to ensure a seamless trip, the process helps our students to build excitement and anticipation for the experience.  The Cross Culture Healthcare course is an important and unique feature of our program.  We believe our students are richer for the experience, will be stronger applicants for future programs, and will be better practitioners.