Personal Development
This exchange experience has allowed me to push myself and step outside of my comfort zone and explore personal interests and new experiences. I have also gained a sense of independence and developed more adaptability. Most of all, I feel more confident in myself as I was able to make new connections and find my feet in an unfamiliar and new environment.
Academic Development
My workload at UPenn was quite similar to UQ in that the majority of my contact hours were spent on placement. I enjoyed how UPenn’s course linked its clinical elements with didactic components. We had modules that prepared us for our clinical placements such as an EKG analysis module and also had daily reflections with our facilitator at clinical placement.
Professional Development
This experience allowed me to explore another health system and develop skills to adapt to new clinical environments. It was also interesting to reflect on the various approaches to nursing and critically think and focus on the priorities of care for patients. For example, US nurses place a higher priority on completing a full physical exam each shift, which gave me the opportunity to gain confidence in this skill.
