Exchange report - incoming students
Home university: University of Toledo
Study programme: Occupational Therapy
Exchange programme: INK
Semester: Spring semester 2012/2013

Arrival and registration

 My classmate and I arranged to be picked up by a Global Friends representative. The person who picked us up, Stefan Peyda, was great! There was some confusion about our arrival time, and he waited a couple of hours later than he expected to in order to pick us up. He took us to our apartment, answered all our questions, and was just generally very helpful and courteous. We were very impressed.

The introduction day at Karolinska Institute went smoothly. Everyone we spoke to was helpful and made the process easy for us. I left feeling much more confident about my fieldwork placement and my time in Stockholm.

Acommendation

I stayed in Strix and was happy with my accommodation. I had everything I needed, the apartment and common areas were clean and the other tenants were friendly and respectful. I applied through the UAC and the process was very easy. I actually forgot to accept my accommodation by the deadline, but they extended it for me and sent me a reminder, which was extremely helpful. I was happy with my accommodation.

Leisure time and social activities

 I did not participate in any of the official social activities through KI, but I made several friends with people who were living in my corridor. These included Swedish students and students from other countries.

Pre-departure

 My university has an agreement with Karolinska Institute in which they send students to Stockholm every year. I applied because I thought the opportunity to experience the health care system in Sweden would be valuable for understanding how the health system in the U.S. functions, including positives and negatives. I was also looking forward to learning how occupational therapy is practiced in Sweden to gain a broader perspective on the profession and its potential. I was also just excited to spend some time in Sweden.

The application process was easy and the pre-departure information provided was all very helpful. I can't think of anything that I wish I had known beforehand that Karolinska did not tell me. I was very happy with the process.

Courses during the exchange period

EAR001 : Clinical rotation 1 for exchange students - occupational theraphy
I was very pleased with my clinical rotation. I had a great experience and my clinical supervisors were both excellent. There was obviously barriers related primarily to language, but also my unfamiliarity with the Swedish system, but they were great at allowing me to participate as much as possible. They took the time to thoroughly answer all my questions regarding patients and the Swedish system. I was also given the opportunity to observe other settings and disciplines. I was very happy with both my supervisors and could not have asked for a better experience.

Summary

Overall, I thought KI made the exchange process smooth and easy and unstressful. I was very pleased. I was very happy with my clinical placement and thought everyone was great at accommodating my language barrier.

Language and Culture

 N/A

Studies in general

I did not take any classes, but my interactions with the faculty were very positive. They were helpful and made sure everything was arranged and that we were happy with our placements. They followed up with us and generally made things easy and smooth.