A group of students from the Curry College School of Nursing recently returned from a faculty-led trip to Ambialet, France for the Health Policy and Finance course.
Taught and chaperoned by School of Nursing Professor Dr. Linda Tenofsky and Associate Professor KatherineMarie Conover, PhD, RN, CNE, CHSE, the trip spanned over a three-week term and featured tours of historic landmarks, hiking, cooking classes, medical presentations, visiting a local retirement home, and more.
The group of Nursing students visited two hospitals while in France - the American Hospital of Paris and Clinique Claude Bernard. Students learned of a variety of differences between American and French healthcare, and explored how medical technology is used differently between both countries.
Our students also benefited from an educational presentation by Bernard Pradines, a Geriatrician in Albi, France. Pradines educated our students about the restraints and pending legislation in France regarding medical aid in dying.
Throughout the week, students also completed assignments comparing healthcare issues in America versus France, such as breastfeeding, cardiovascular disease, and obesity. As part of their final projects, students selected one of the course outcomes and crafted a creative project that demonstrated how that outcome was met. Junior Mary Kelliher authored a poem about a patient with terminal disease and their choice to live or die, based on current policies in France, which she learned during the trip.
A trip highlight was the group's visit to the American Cemetery of Suresnes. Here, students read a poem at the grave of nurse volunteers who gave their lives in World War I. The program director was emotionally moved and commented how no one had ever honored these women in such a sincere and thoughtful way.
The trip was amazing! I am so happy I went. I would recommend other students study abroad because it's so amazing to see the differences between how we live in America compared to in France. Because I was taking a nursing class about healthcare, I got to not only learn things in the classroom but also see things firsthand in the hospitals that we toured. Some of my favorite parts of the trip were; watching the stars at night and talking with all of my classmates (who became such good friends of mine), visiting all of the nearby towns of Ambialet, experiencing the beautiful nature that surrounds the priory we stayed at, getting a chance to talk to the people of France, and of course exploring Paris." -Kristin Shalvey '25
The Center for Global and Career Services (CGCS) is pleased to offer a variety of faculty-led travel courses for 2024, including International Business in Italy, Special Topics in Psychology in Ireland, Global Health in London, and Discovering Florence (General Education).
For more information, please email studyabroad@curry.edu, or visit our Study Abroad webpage.
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Created with images by MarinadeArt - "Eiffel Tower at sunset in Paris, France. Romantic travel background" • aterrom - "Suresnes American Cemetery and Memorial "