My study abroad experience was interesting because it has been online in a virtual classroom. My classmates are from different countries like Chile and London and there were three people from Longwood in my class! COVID-19 forced me to sacrifice my study abroad experience to Mexico, but I am still thankful to have the opportunity to learn from a professor from a medical school in the United Kingdom. This experience helped me be more adaptable, as I had specific plans to study away and am now learning from my living room.

The class is titled Comparative Healthcare systems. I have included a PowerPoint that I did within the class that explored details of quality and equality within the healthcare system in the United States. I was assigned the United States, but others presented on Chile, France, Italy, and the U.K. Learning more about the healthcare systems in other countries not only taught me valuable information for my career in healthcare, but also about other cultures. The mindset of other countries, such as sacrificing for the common good, is exemplary and something not necessarily accustomed in the United States.

It would have been amazing to work in a clinic in Mexico for a month rather than do remote learning. The experience still taught me a lot that made me more aware of my own opinions as well as what affects the healthcare I receive in my country. This information has already made me a better healthcare worker by allowing me to mix the best practices around the world into one method surrounded by equality, efficiency, and quality.