Background: After 10 years of a collaborative relationship between Alpha Xi and InHolland University, the doors opened for a reciprocal experience for students at USC CON. Two trips have been completed with a third in the planning stages. Based on our experiences hosting nursing students from Germany and the Netherlands, as well as reviews of other international programs (Bridgwood, Willoughby, Attridge, & Tang, 2017), this global exchange was planned to provide students with learning, cultural, relational, and leadership opportunities during a week-long experience in the Netherlands. During this exchange, students learn about the health care and education systems, comparing and contrasting the differences and similarities. The participants visit local clinical sites in and around Amsterdam. These include hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes. They also spend a day at the University to compare academic programs. The challenges and logistics of travel and agenda planning are critical to achieve the desired outcomes. Evaluation of each year’s trip is essential for sustainability and satisfaction of all participants and hosts.
Findings: Student evaluations of the exchange have been positive with an emphasis on providing the trip annually to allow other students to experience a different culture, health system, and educational system. Innovation, tolerance, and connectedness have been identified as common themes from the student experience, similar to student exchange reports (Lesch, Pisano, & Kapila, 2014). A highlight of the trip is meeting with Dutch students who have been to South Carolina in previous years. The reunion gives these nurses an opportunity to reflect on how their exchange experience has impacted their lives after returning to the Netherlands.
Conclusion: International experiences provide students and faculty with opportunities to learn and connect with other health professionals. The collegiality, connectedness, and collaboration seen throughout are the glue for sustainability and stepping stones to global connectedness. The results are immeasurable because of the people and relationships, the giving and sharing among those from different countries, different cultures, and different clinical practices who all have a vision for improving global health.