Student Success: A Cultural Experience

Nursing Students Visit Ecuador to Study Health Care and Develop Cultural Sensitivity

By Gina Oltman

With their sights set on nursing careers, Raney Hicks and Emily Campidonica are determined to learn about other cultures so they can understand and be sensitive to all patients.

That is why the two nursing majors participated in Stanislaus State’s study abroad Ecuador Nursing Program at the end of the spring 2022 semester.

“It broadens your perspective and gives you more empathy for others, and that is important to us,” said Campidonica, as Hicks nodded her head in agreement. “The experience will help us understand people better, whether they are patients or just people we meet. Understanding and empathy are especially important in health care because patients are very vulnerable when they are sick.”

Officially called “Cultural Variations in Health Care: A Comparative Analysis of Cultures,” the faculty-led program is a 3-unit course that consists of two Saturday classes, a few evening classes and a three-week trip to Ecuador, where students learn about the country’s health care system while living with local families.

About 10 students sign up every year for the program, which is typically scheduled for the first three weeks of June. Since 2016, it has been led by retired lecturer Esther Harris, who taught in Stan State’s nursing program and grew up in Ecuador.

“Students who participate frequently say it’s life changing, but in different ways,” Harris said. “Some are struck by the spirituality of their hosts and decide to put more energy into that area of their lives. Others notice their host families always eat together and it is really important to them. They say, ‘Wow, we don’t do that,’ or their family used to do it and stopped, so they really want to make changes when they get home.”

By the end of the three-week program, the change in students is apparent.

“They grow personally and professionally in their world outlook,” Harris said.

For most of the program, students take daily classes while they live in Cuenca, a city of nearly 600,000 residents. They also visit Quito, the country’s capital, Guayaquil, Saraguro, Ingapirca, Mindo and the equator. As they travel through the country, they visit local hospitals and other health care facilities, tour a nursing school, listen to presentations by local health officials and stop at cultural sites, where they learn about traditional ways and meet Indigenous people. There is also free time and fun activities, like hiking on beautiful mountain trails.

Once students arrive in Ecuador, cultural immersion begins when they are introduced to their host families and head to their new, temporary homes.

“At first, the students are nervous because many of them don’t speak Spanish, and their host families don’t really speak a lot of English, so it can be a challenge,” Harris said. “But they work around it. By the end of the three weeks, the students always cry when they leave their host families. They really bond with them.”

Hicks and Campidonica agreed. They said their host families made them feel welcome from the minute they met them. Introductions were almost like a ceremony, they said, and it seemed like all the students in the group bonded with their families right away.

“As soon as I met my family, I just wanted to cry because it felt so warm, and I felt so loved, even though I just met them two seconds ago,” said Hicks, who continues to stay in touch with her hosts by texting and exchanging photos.

While Hicks speaks some Spanish and Campidonica speaks less, both said their ability to communicate with their hosts did not rely on their Spanish skills.

“There are so many ways to communicate across language. That was an eye-opening experience,” Campidonica said. “We grew to love these people we could hardly talk to, and we just found ways beyond language to communicate.”

The host homes were modern with telephones and televisions, and the moms all texted each other on cell phones, much like in the United States. But the students noticed differences, too. People routinely greeted each other with a kiss on the cheek; homes had big gates and no front yards; on pick up day, trash bags were hung high on fences to keep them from stray dogs; and paper products were never flushed down toilets.

The group visited a range of hospitals, from expensive hotellike hospitals for people with private insurance to mid-range regional hospitals to clinics and small rural hospitals with little equipment. While there, students noticed that hands were well-washed, but hand sanitizer, gloves and personal protective equipment (PPE) were uncommon. Campidonica and Hicks said they also noticed the strong influence of the Catholic church and frequently saw Virgin Mary statues displayed in hospitals.

The two students agreed that the experience will stick with them for years and influence how they interact with patients once they start working as nurses.

“It will definitely help us connect with patients, especially here in the Central Valley, where we have a lot of diversity,” Hicks said. “Just being able to put myself in their shoes when I’m interacting with patients who have a language barrier or feel uncomfortable, that will really help.”