NAME: BreEllen G. Loughlin
DATE OF EXPERIENCE: August 30, 1999 - September 21, 1999
LOCATION OF EXPERIENCE: Adelaide, South Australia

FINANCIAL AID: I paid my own way. Judy Gonda graciously allowed me to stay in her home for much of my trip, greatly reducing my food and living expenses.

COMMENTS ON HOUSING, TRANSPORTATION, MONEY EXCHANGE, FOOD, LANGUAGE, ETC.: The exchange was about $.68 US to $1.00 Australia. On some days, I used my credit card. I could get as good as $.58. I stayed at Judy's house up in the hills for part of my trip, and down on the beach at a backpackers for the rest of the time. South Australia has a great bus and train system, so it was easy to get from one place to another. With the exchange, prices were extremely reasonable. I was surprised at how much I got caught up on the slang. I learned that if I wasn't familiar with the term then I should ask, as 70% of the time the actual meaning was different from what I would perceive it to be.

TIPS YOU WOULD LIKE TO PASS ON: First of all, I would suggest that future students take much more time than I did. It is such a beautiful and friendly country. It felt very safe traveling, and there is no place I think should be avoided. For future students going to Flinders: Talk to Judith Claire about visiting the Alice Springs clinical site. Had I met with Dr. Claire earlier in my visit, she could have arranged for me to go to this site, and I sorely regret missing the experience. Flinders SON offers this rural site to their students for clinical experience. It's about a 25 hour drive from Adelaide, but flights are very reasonable, and students can get a true outback experience.

WOULD YOU RECOMMEND THIS PROGRAM TO A UW STUDENT? Yes! The Flinders faculty was absolutely inspiring, and the country is gorgeous. I would say that visiting the Alice Springs site should be a must.

STRENGTHS OF THE PROGRAM: Judy Gonda was an incredible coordinator. Each day was full with experiences, sites, and meetings. The Flinders staff was very interested in sharing their program, and personal research with a traveling student.

WEAKNESSES OF THIS PROGRAM: It was a short period of time. Also, I could not be insured to get patient contact.

SUMMARY OF EXPERIENCE: Australia is currently undergoing health care reform. About 80% of the Australian population currently uses Medicaid, the national public insured financed by 1.8% tax on income. The government is encouraging its public to invest in private insurance by passing laws that increase the cost of health care. Because of the increased costs of care, many public hospitals have been forced to resort to bed closures. It was relatively easy to schedule a meeting with faculty and clinical professionals, as they were eager to voice their situation, (and I was eager to hear their perspective).

Nursing has only been a tertiary program in South Australia since 1991. There are still debates as the whether nursing should be considered a profession, or a vocation. For the first time I got a really good perspective on why it is important to distinguish nursing as a field independent from medicine. The struggle for recognition as a profession also meant the struggle for financial backing for research and for the school of nursing itself. UW SON is so well established, I never understood why NANDA was so important. I was always asking, "why don't we use a universal medical language?" It's an issue that isn't addressed in our textbooks, and something that our professors know inherently, as they had to personally struggle to establish nursing as a profession in the U.S. Going into a culture where nursing is not yet recognized as a theory based profession helped me to understand why our system of nursing is the way it is.

In Australia, health care is seen as a basic right. "What do you do for people who can't afford health care?" was one of the most common questions. I really had to take a good look at programs we had available for our underprivileged in the U.S. Comparatively, it was embarrassing, to say the least. Every person in Australia has access to the same type of health care. "What is the basic stance on social justice?" When we are in our own country, working within our own system it is easy to see what is wrong, and think, "that should really be changed." When I went to another country, I suddenly felt personally accountable. Obviously our poor are under-served, but what have I done about it?

Judy Gonda discussed nursing with me for almost 3 weeks straight. Each day I came to her with what had happened, and she tried to help me understand and process everything. This trip has changed, or rather, has sharpened my perspective on nursing. I encourage everyone in the health care field to gain international health care experience. It is not just what you learn about other culture's health care system, but it also offers perspective on the system we work in here in the U.S.