Location

Tallinn, Alicante, Estonia, Spain

Program Description

Information Session

October 22, 2024: 6:30PM- 7:30PM, HBS 3032 and Zoom, Passcode: 314799

Are you interested in a career in healthcare, public health, or public policy? Do you wonder why our healthcare system is the way it is and why it’s not more like the universal healthcare systems that you hear about in other countries? Every country in the world takes a different approach to designing and implementing their healthcare systems. What better way to learn about varying perspectives on healthcare than to visit and talk to the people who live and work within them. This course will take you to Spain and Estonia where we will learn about their healthcare systems and compare and contrast them with the US approach to healthcare.

While in each country you will experience the culture that helps shape the healthcare system, meet with healthcare professionals, visit health clinics, and learn about some of the things that make different healthcare systems unique. This is a discussion based, critical thinking course where we learn from experiencing and talking with the people who know their healthcare systems best. Your exploration of universal healthcare in two Europe countries will give you a new perspective though which to view the strengths and weaknesses of US healthcare. You will be required to attend six pre-departure evening meetings with coursework in the spring semester prior to departure. While abroad we you will participate in a mix of academic experiences exploring healthcare systems and exciting cultural excursions such as swimming under crystal clear waterfalls, cooking classes, hiking in bogs, paddle boarding in the ocean, and exploring historic castles and museums.

This course is designed to help students compare and contrast three different healthcare systems. We will examine cost, quality, and accessibility of healthcare in each country, as well as exploring what is defined as healthcare. In each country (including the US) we will meet with healthcare providers to learn about their perspectives on healthcare. In Europe this includes visits to health clinics, hospitals, public health offices, as well as classroom based lectures. The format is primarily a brief lecture from the provider(s) about what they do followed by a robust question and answer and discussion time. Site visits also include tours of various healthcare facilities.

In addition to the academic visits (approximately one each day excluding Sundays) students will participate in cultural experiences that help them better understand the lifestyles and attitudes that help shape the healthcare system. These experiences also give them opportunities to talk to locals about healthcare and hear perspectives from "patients", not just "experts". Cultural experiences include things like cooking classes, museum visits, beach trips, city or historic site tours, hiking in bogs, and more.

Location Description

Nestled on the dazzling Mediterranean Sea, Alicante is rich in Spanish flavor, with a Gothic castle, colorful old quarter, and its palm-lined promenade, Explanada de Espana, which is paved with 6.6 million tricolored tiles. The Castle of Santa Barbara, the port of Alicante, and the Algar Waterfalls are just a few of the exciting places to explore. Our home base in Alicante will be on the main campus of the Universidad de Alicante in San Vincente in the northwestern region of the city.

Situated in northern Europe along the Baltic Sea, Estonia, considered the “Gem of the Baltic”, is an incredible country boasting a diverse terrain and rich heritage. Home to lush forests, stunning lakes, rocky and sandy beaches, and more than 1,500 islands, Estonia is famed for its hilltop fortresses, many castles, and popular sauna culture. Our home base in Estonia will be Tallin University, a diverse international university in the capital city.

Each of these countries has a universal healthcare system, but that doesn’t mean that they do things the same way. They each embrace different types of traditional and alternative medicine, and have varying policies and structures that impact healthcare delivery. The last time the World Health Organization ranked healthcare systems Spain ranked #7, the US ranked #37, and Estonia ranked #77. With rich culture and history, combined with modern amenities of large cities, there is so much to explore and learn in these beautiful and fascinating locations.

Director

Jill Lassiter | lassitjw@jmu.edu | Health Sciences

Accommodations

Accommodations in each country will be shared (double or triple occupancy) hotel rooms that are centrally located in the host cities. They will include free wifi and breakfast. Hotels will be within walking distance of restaurants and popular attractions, or within close proximity to public transportation. Students will be provided with a public transportation pass.

All meals are provided as part of the program. These will include breakfast at the hotel, a group welcome and departure meal, and a meal stipend to cover all lunches and dinners that are not arranged for the group.

Additional Items to Consider

We will have approximately six mandatory meetings prior to departure to familiarize ourselves with the basics of the US healthcare system and the World Health Organization criteria for rating healthcare systems.

There is no pre-requisite for this course; you do not have to be a health sciences major or have taken any health class to succeed in this course, you only need to have an interest in healthcare. Our pre-departure work will give us a common baseline for understanding the basics of healthcare systems and prepare us for our travels and studies in Europe.

We will spend one week in each country, during which time we will participate in approximately six different healthcare experiences per country (e.g. lectures, site visits, discussions with providers). These will focus on both a general understanding of healthcare policy and implementation in each country, as well as unique aspects of healthcare that may be less familiar to American students. We will also participate in a variety of cultural experiences in each country (e.g. cooking class, castle tour, museum, beach trip, etc.).

Students are required to have a passport that is valid for 6-months after the program end date.

There are no visas or special immunizations required to visit these countries.

Transportation to and from the airport is provided for students arriving with the group.

We will be staying in double or triple occupancy hotels.

Each student will be required to bring a cell phone with international connectivity, as well as a tablet or laptop to complete academic work. We will be partnering with CIEE, the country’s largest and oldest nonprofit study abroad and cultural exchange organization. CIEE will help to coordinate our in-country experiences, provide translation services, arrange housing and in-country transportation, and provide emergency support.

Applicant Criteria

Applicants must have a GPA minimum of 2.0

No language requirement

Open to all undergraduate class levels

There is no pre-requisite for this course; you do not have to be a health sciences major or have taken any health class to succeed in this course

Open to JMU students only