General Information About My Studies
My exchange wasn't a typical exchange, as this for me was extra experience rather than a necessity for my degree. This then actually made it less stressful. I didn't spend any time at the university and I didn't have any classes as such - my exchange was a clinical exchange, with all of my time spend on one ward at a hospital.
The Clinical Environment
I had one midwifery mentor for my whole stay, which was very different to what I am used to in Australia where we spend time with many different midwives. I actually found having one mentor was excellent in this situation, as I got to know her well and could ask her questions, and she got to know my strengths and weaknessses and could provide feedback.
Language Barrier
Not being able to speak Swedish proved not to be as big of a barrier as I expected - all of the staff were happy to speak English, as were the patients and their families, which made the exchange much easier. Of course there were times when there were things I couldn't understand, but this was expected, and my mentor would always translate for me.
Differences
There are many skills that midwifery students in Sweden learn that midwifery students in Australia don't until after graduation, and vice versa. There were many differences between health practices in Sweden and Australia which was very interesting to see, some good and some bad.