Studying abroad offers students interested in healthcare and related fields a unique opportunity to gain global perspectives on medical practices, health systems and patient care, enriching their education and professional development.
Immersing in diverse cultures also enhances communication skills, cultural competence and adaptability—key qualities in delivering high-quality, empathetic healthcare.
Upcoming Trip: May 1-12, 2025
USI's Kinney College of Nursing and Health Professions students will participate alongside 15-20 undergraduate and graduate health management students in Osnabrück, Germany, in a weeklong experience involving collaborative study, health facilities tours and cultural experiences. The success of this program is based on merging U.S. and German students together in terms of discussion and intercultural experiences. At the conclusion of the block week in Osnabrück, the group will travel to Berlin for a weekend excursion.
USI and University of Applied Sciences (Hochschule) Osnabrück (UAS Osnabrück) in Germany have had an exchange partnership since 1990. It grew out of the sister city relationship between Evansville and the city of Osnabrück and is one of the University's longest standing exchange programs with more than 200 American and German students participating since its inception.
For more information about this study abroad opportunity, contact Dr. Erin Reynolds at ereynolds@usi.edu or Dr. Zachary Ward at zdward@usi.edu.
Germany Trip Applications are due December 15, 2024
OT Students Visit Belize
Dr. Jessica Mason, Assistant Professor and Chair of Occupational Therapy, and faculty colleague Dr. Jenna Thacker, Assistant Professor and Academic Fieldwork Coordinator of Occupational Therapy, accompanied five second-year OT students to Belize October 21-25, 2024 with Therapy Adventures, a Chicago-based non-profit organization dedicated to delivering pediatric therapy services to underserved communities worldwide. USI received a grant from the Community-Engaged Alliance to help fund the trip.
All OT students are required to complete three, one-week level 1 fieldwork rotations as part of OT 695: Professional Practicum Seminar A and B. Mason says the experience in Belize helped raise the USI students’ level of cultural competence.