About the International Course
The objectives of this course are three fold:
·
Students participating in this
course develop a better understanding of the health care systems
in the
· Second, the students explore similarities and differences in practice and considered how these differences may be used in their own country to expand the role of occupational therapy.
· Lastly, the students had the opportunity to consider cultural similarities and differences.
A unique aspect of this course is the opportunity to participate
in a student exchange. 2nd year UWL students may
choose to travel to Aberdeen, Scotland
or Brighton, England
over their spring break to see first hand similarities and
differences in occupational therapy practice and experience life
in the United Kingdom
(UK). Students participate in various learning activities
while in the UK
including attending classes with the occupational therapy
students, completing job shadowing in the community and
participating in cultural events such as visiting castles,
museums and socializing with the
UK students. While in
UK the UWL students
are hosted by UK
students which provide an insight into the daily life of a
university student in
the UK. The 1st year occupational therapy students can
choose to host a UK
occupational therapy student
from either the Robert
Gordon University in Scotland or the University of Brighton in
England. These
students travel to La Crosse during their spring break and join
us in classes, as well as complete job shadowing and participate
in cultural activities.
As part of this course, students participate in joint classes
via videoconference. During the videoconference sessions,
students discuss their cultural experiences and also discuss
similarities and differences in occupational therapy practice.
Students find it interesting to see how health care systems
impact service delivery between the
three countries and
feel there are areas of occupational therapy that can be
expanded in both countries.
Back to International Experience