Indonesia may be a half-a-world away, but for twelve URI nursing, pharmacy, and physical therapy students, it provided invaluable lessons and an opportunity to expand their perspectives on health care.
The group—which included seven students from the College of Nursing—participated in the two-week trip, designed to give them a firsthand look at Indonesia’s health care system and a chance to increase their knowledge of each other’s disciplines. They stayed in Surabaya, Yogyakarta, and Bali, visiting health programs in urban and rural settings, where they had the opportunity to meet and work with international students, compare URI’s nursing program to the Indonesian program, and explore new global health care initiatives.
The trip was the first URI interdisciplinary global health trip, and it was offered to students during the University’s January term.
Senior Heather Marty, who spoke about her belief that nurses need to be culturally competent, was excited about the opportunity to travel to Indonesia and learn about its culture. “I experienced how Indonesians work with limited resources, and what they do to keep their community happy and healthy. Throughout the trip I thought more about health promotion and the assessment of a patient,” she said. “Pharmacy students thought about which drugs would be most effective for the patient, and physical therapy students thought about the rehabilitative process that the patient might require. We worked together to come up with ideas for how we might treat patients with leprosy, HIV, and women with pregnancy complications.”
Assistant Clinical Professor of Nursing Michelle Palmer firmly believes that interdisciplinary trips, such as this one, should be incorporated into a student’s educational experience. Plans for a trip to Indonesia are in the works for next year.
“We need to do more of this,” she said. “It is a norm for other countries to do an overseas experience. It is expected that students will not just have the perspective of their own country. It should be a norm here and we should work to make this possible. Experiences like these can truly change a student’s life.”
They can also change a student’s perceptions. “After spending a few days in Indonesia, I quickly learned that their values are centered on religion, family, and love,” said nursing student Gabrielle Rate. “I’ve come to learn that these values are the central driving forces that form the basis of their health care system and cultural practices, which ultimately is something we can learn from in the United States.”