Australian Nursing Students Participate in Study Abroad Experience in Canada

During my time at Meadow Lake Hospital, I noticed even though Australia and Canada have relatively similar health systems, there are a few interesting and significant differences. First, Registered Nurses study for four years in Canada, compared to three years in Australia. Second, it is not common to see a midwife at a Canadian hospital, so nurses must be trained in obstetrics and know how to deliver a baby. In Australia, unless the baby requires neonatal care, a nurse will rarely be involved with the birth of a child.

As we were working in a community hospital in Meadow Lake, it was good to see the amount of outpatient care that was provided to individuals through programs based inside and outside of the hospital, as well as the high attention to care that is provided to the Indigenous population. Although these practices do happen in Australia, I myself have not experienced such a high standard of outpatient care, nor the involvement and respect to maintain Indigenous culture and beliefs. Although Australia does have Indigenous health care workers and nurses, I don't believe the knowledge of Indigenous health is as wide spread throughout Australia. 

I noticed another difference between Australia and Canada while I was working in the emergency department. In Meadow Lake, patients check in at the front desk and are then seen and triaged within the first 15 minutes of arriving, so they can be assessed and prioritised for care. In Australia, the patient arrives at the triage desk, and a nurse makes an assessment there and prioritises the care required. Finally, another difference I noticed was related to medication. There were a few drugs that had a completely different name than I was used to, and there were some with different brand names. Some drugs I thought I had never heard of when the nurses referred to it, but when hearing the generic name, I knew exactly what it was.

I am very grateful and appreciate having the opportunity to have been able to visit this beautiful country, province and many cities. It is something I would recommend to anyone and look forward to hopefully making it back one day.

From the beginning of my trip, I felt totally welcomed by all Canadians. Because I was staying with Canadian hosts, I had the chance to be a part of local experiences both in Saskatoon and Meadow Lake. I was also introduced to many locals and that made the experience even better. Getting the true insight of Canadian culture was a definite highlight of my trip. 

The people I met were warm, friendly and always provided help when needed, which is quite different to some parts of Australia. While working in the Prairie North Health Region, all the nurses were willing to share their knowledge; it was great to feel comfortable enough to ask a variety of questions and receive such detailed answers. They allowed us to try many new things, including obstetrics, which Australian nurses are not exposed to unless they have completed a specialty midwifery degree. I was overwhelmed with how at home it felt working with the nurses in Meadow Lake; it allowed for a nurturing experience, which I find is best for my learning. 

Overall, I loved Canada from the moment I arrived and I attribute it to how generous and kind the people are. It made studying abroad very enjoyable and gave me memories I will never forget.

Being given the opportunity to come to Canada and have a clinical experience in Meadow Lake has been incredible and so beneficial to me in every aspect of my life. It provided me with the chance to learn so much about the differences and similarities in the health care systems between Australia and Canada and enabled me to go out in the community and experience the Indigenous culture.

I loved everything about working in Meadow Lake. My favourite part of working there would be that I was able to go out in the community to see, learn, understand and live among the locals. Getting to know the locals meant we were able to do so much more than if we were just tourists. In Australia, we don't really get the opportunity to do home visits, go to clinic or provide community care.

By working in a small town like Meadow Lake, we were able to see a wider variety of clients requiring different types of health care. We rotated through the community and the hospital wards, getting to experience emergency, surgical, medical, obstetrics and theatre.

By being involved in the community, I was able to go to a pow wow, a traditional sweat and an Indigenous youth camp. I cannot imagine a better way to experience any of this! Having such a variety of experiences, gave me the opportunity to learn in so many ways and to properly understand the Indigenous culture and health care.

I would absolutely recommend coming to Canada for an educational trip, as you won't get this kind of experience visiting as a tourist. The experiences I have been lucky enough to have in Saskatoon and in Meadow Lake in the Prairie North Health Region are once in a lifetime experiences that will benefit me in my professional career as a Registered Nurse and personally, as I learned a lot about who I am and where I can see myself in the future!

The support that was offered from the Canadian hosts and their families was unbelievable. Throughout the three weeks, I never once felt disappointment and instead, had a smile on my face the whole time (even knowing I'm working). Every night I went to bed excited, knowing the next day would bring a new, exciting and challenging adventure! 

If you are thinking about studying abroad, I would recommend you to take this opportunity. It will benefit you in so many ways, making you the best nurse that you are able to be. I loved every moment of my time in Canada :).

While I was in Meadow Lake, the thing I enjoyed most was the wonderful experience of meeting the First Nations people. They were very welcoming and eager to share their knowledge, tradition and culture with us. I went to a pow wow and left feeling spiritually connected with their culture through traditional song and dance. On another occasion, I went to a traditional sweat, enjoyed all four sessions and I was invigorated by the time it was over.

Another thing I really enjoyed was the actual experience of working in a rural Canadian hospital. All the staff were cooperative and helpful and willing to teach and share their knowledge with us, resulting in a great overall experience.

During my shifts at Meadow Lake Hospital, I found a few differences between Canada and Australia.  In Canada, even in larger rural settings, technicians are used to complete blood glucose testing, ECG's and to obtain blood samples. In Australia, I have been taught as a student how to obtain blood glucose levels and complete an ECG under the supervision of a Registered Nurse. Then in our final year of school, we can complete a course and learn how to obtain blood samples, which we can practice immediately as a student nurse, once we have been signed off by a supervising RN.

Another difference I noticed between the countries was that Canadian nurses are able to care for pregnant women and deliver infants, whereas in Australia as an RN, we are not trained in obstetrics and midwifes manage these patients. Also, I love in Canadian hospitals that charts with information about the whole body are completed every shift. In Australia, we do not have these charts; we only have observational charts and nursing notes and doctors complete full body examinations. This experience broadened my practice as a student because I was taught how to complete full body examinations, but had never completed one during a clinical placement before. From this experience, I look forward to implementing these examinations on a regular basis because I believe a set of observations (vital signs) is only a small window to assessing a patient’s health status.

Overall, the basic concept of nursing in Australia and Canada is the same, but the scope of practice between countries is quite different.