Ten nursing students from the Australian Catholic University recently undertook a two week clinical placement at hospitals in Taipei supported by New Colombo Plan mobility grants.
The program, undertaken in cooperation with Fu Jen Catholic University, included training across emergency services, acute and critical care, maternity, and cancer prevention.
Speaking at the Australian Office in Taipei, one of the students emphasised the importance of the trip to developing their cultural sensitivity when treating patients from different backgrounds: "Many of the cultural lessons learnt in Taiwan can also be applied when engaging with people from Mainland China, Korea and Japan, an obvious asset given our extensive and ever-expanding cultural, people-to-people, government and business links with this region."
Immersing themselves in Taiwan's public healthcare system, the students were also able to compare approaches which may be of benefit in Australia. The students felt these experiences genuinely put them at an advantage in terms of their studies and future careers.
The Australian Catholic University students said that the trip was not only rewarding professionally, but that they also had a great time. In every spare moment they were out sampling delicacies at local night markets, mountain-climbing, sightseeing and travelling to neighbouring scenic counties via the quick and accessible high-speed rail network.
