Exchange report - incoming students
Home university: La Trobe University
Study programme: Midwifery
Exchange programme: INK
Semester: Autumn semester 2018/2019
Name: Alycia Stojcevski
Email address: 19345026@students.latrobe.edu.au

Arrival and registration

On arrival to Solna we had already received our schedules and itinerary with all relevant meeting places and people we were meeting. We were able to meet with the course coordinator on our first day and run through our schedules and were taken to where our classes would be. 

We were also then shown to the student health centre to have our MRSA testing done. 

Everyone we met were extremely welcoming and very wiling to help us in any way we needed. 

Acommendation

We didn't apply for housing through the university as we were doing a clinical rotation at a hospital which wasn't near the uni therefore we chose to book through an AirBnB which was closer to the hospital we were placed at. 

Our coordinators were really great with providing us with our placement ahead of time therefore we knew which hospital we were going to and could book accommodation accordingly. 

The cost of our accommodation was a little bit expensive however we were told that where we booked was an expensive area and we were right on the main road. However our accommodation was great! Close to everything we needed and perfect for what we needed. 

Leisure time and social activities

 We had some students email us wanting to catch up with them once we met them in our classes which was really nice as we did not have many classes at the uni and most of our exchange was clinical placement. Everyone in the classes were really great and we got to meet the girls who will be coming to our home school which was also really nice to build a relationship with them before they left! 

Pre-departure

I chose to go one exchange to advance and enrich my knowledge and studies of my chosen profession. As the opportunity was available at one of the world's best medical universities and some of the most advanced health care systems I was definitely excited for what I would be learning and exposed to!

The information provided by KI was amazing. Very clear and I was able to understand what I needed to do in order to correctly apply. The KI coordinators for my course and international coordinators were in contact with us regularly ensuring we were kept updated and gave us great advice on accommodation and public transport. 


We were informed that we required to receive MRSA testing prior and all the usual vaccinations. It is a requirement to have our vaccinations up to date at my home university therefore there was no issue. The MRSA test was easily done on campus in Solna before we began our clinical rotation. 

Courses during the exchange period

2EE011x : Clinical rotation within Midwifery
The clinical rotation in midwifery was absolutely amazing ! Everyone was extremely welcoming and willing to explain and help us out in any way we needed! We were also moved to different wards during our stay therefore we were able to experience the differences in care and routine that's they perform. It was really great to see the collaboration between all the health care workers! I learnt so much and have been able to come home with so much knowledge and it has opened my eyes wider to see things in a different light.

Summary

Overall I have had the most amazing time on exchange and would definitely recommend it to anyone who is considering going on exchange!

The skills and knowledge I have taken away from this exchange is invaluable and I will forever be grateful to KI and all the midwives and other health professionals who have helped and supported me though my time in Stockholm. It has been such an amazing time and will hold it close to my heart!

Everything was organised extremely well and everyone was very welcoming and accommodating ! Couldn't talk anymore highly of everyone we came into contact with and everyone who organised everything for us! 

Language and Culture

I didn't participate in any Swedish language course as my course was not long enough to require this however I found that all of the midwives and other health professionals spoke very well English and majority of the patients also did! Therefore speaking english was not a problem for most people ! 

The only thing we found a bit difficult was trying to read a patients file as it was obviously all in Swedish. We would have to wait for someone to translate it for us before our shift. Everyone were more than happy to translate for us though. By the end we also began to learn words so were able to pick up on things and be able to kind of read through their journal and get a bit of an understanding of the patient and just have to ask our midwives to fill in the blanks. 

Studies in general

We were lucky enough to sit in to a couple of classes of sills that we don't learn at our home university which was really interesting and a great way to expand our knowledge. 

The relationships between the student and teachers are great, the teachers are very well experienced and very excited and passionate about educating their students about their chosen profession. 

It was really great to be included in the practical classes as we were able to learn the vital aspects of performing certain procedures and skills in a different way than at our home university. Although the outcome is the same there are different ways in which health professionals perform certain tasks and it was great to see things through a different lens than what we were used to. 

I learnt an enormous amount throughout this exchange and much of which is practical skills which I love as I am now able to come back and implement everything I have learnt in my practice at my home institution and future career.