In spring 2016 the School of Nursing offered a study abroad experience to London. This destination was chosen because health care reform is the resounding call from various stakeholders including health care professionals, patients, communities, and the federal government. It was an opportunity for students to explore issues of alternative care delivery and health care financing by learning about UK's National Health Service (NHS), which was launched in 1948 undergirded by the principle that good healthcare should be available to all, regardless of wealth.
Students in enrolled in this study abroad course attended lectures about the NHS, its history, and place in British life, and toured a major NHS hospital. Students also visited the museum dedicated to the "mother" of modern nursing," Florence Nightingale, visited Europe's oldest surviving operating theatre, and toured the Wellcome Trust Museum showing historical and curious medical artifacts. Lectures from key leaders associated with the Royal College of Nursing and the Queen's Nursing Institute highlighted the work of nurses in hospitals and the community throughout the UK.
No trip to London would be complete without visits to key attractions. And, students visited them all from the Tower of London, Big Ben, The Palace of Westminster, St. Paul's Cathedral, Buckingham Palace and the changing of the Royal Guard, and of course, Harry Potter sites!