A Nursing Student’s Experience in Spain
Naomi knew other nursing students from her university who had traveled abroad with Living & Learning, so when the opportunity came for her cohort to travel to Spain, there was no question in her mind to do anything else.
What Does it Look Like to Take a Study Tour as a Nursing Student?
L&LI and Northwestern University’s nursing program have been working together for over eight years, taking trips around the world for students and their peers to get cross-cultural nursing and clinical experience.
While many nursing cross-cultural experiences focus on developing countries, Spain offers a unique perspective as one of the world's leading healthcare systems. Spain surpasses both the US and UK in the number of doctors and hospital beds per capita, and multiple of its hospitals, including several in Madrid, are ranked among Newsweek’s top 200 hospitals worldwide (2024). For students drawn to healthcare administration or the systems and healthcare policies of developed nations, this program provides an ideal fit. Nursing students traveling with an L&LI Experiential Tour to Spain gain hands-on clinical hours while also attending diverse meetings to explore the structure and function of socialized medicine in Europe, with a special focus on Spain’s model.
Naomi says she was excited and honored to get to tour and have clinical hours at some of the top hospitals in the country. She even had the chance to do something she never thought would happen – be present in an operating room during surgery. The doctors invited her to observe and she felt incredibly welcomed by the entire staff. You can listen to her talk about her memorable operating room experience on the Living & Learning Podcast.
Clinical and Cultural Experience
Alongside the incredible educational experiences, students on an experiential tour also get to explore the beauty of the country they are visiting. Cohorts may see Flamenco dancing, visit cathedrals, attend a bullfight, take a bike tour, and so much more. To view a sample itinerary of a nursing tour to Spain, click here. You can also see sample itineraries of nursing tours to other countries on our website.
After returning home from her time in Spain, Naomi has seen the impact her trip had on her academic career. As she completed her final year of nursing school, she served in the Emergency Department of her local hospital and felt that she grew in her ability to relate to patients from different backgrounds during her cross-cultural experience on her Study Tour.
To learn more about planning a study tour for your students, please contact us and we’ll connect you with our Experiential Tours Team.