Becoming an International USask Nursing Student

Milan Chawla and Cassey Zeederberg have a passion for helping others. Both knew nursing was the profession they wanted to enter, but neither lived anywhere near the University of Saskatchewan (USask).

Chawla is from India and Zeederberg from Dubai.

They are 3^rd year Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) students at the USask Saskatoon Campus.

We sat down with both to learn about their individual experiences becoming international USask nursing students.

How did you learn about the University of Saskatchewan?

Milan: When I began researching universities, USask was at the top of my list, as I have two cousins who are USask graduates.

Cassey: I applied to a few universities around the world prior to discovering USask. None of them stood out to me, so I felt unsure about taking such a huge step in my life. My parents helped me expand my search and we found the University of Saskatchewan! When we looked at pictures, reviewed the website, and looked at the map, it felt like such a quaint, homey place. I was so intrigued that I wanted to learn more. I remember feeling more confident about USask than the other universities I had applied to.

Why did you choose the University of Saskatchewan?

Milan: I visited my family in Saskatoon in 2016 and had the opportunity to tour the University of Saskatchewan. I was spellbound! The campus was beautiful and very diverse. I went back to India and finished my schooling, but always had in the back of my mind that I wanted to return for my undergraduate studies.

When I decided to go into nursing and began looking for universities, I didn’t need to look very far as everyone spoke very highly of the BSN program at USask. The College of Nursing offers excellent clinical placements, an interprofessional education, and astounding hands-on learning experience, which was very intriguing for me.

Cassey: Although I had never been to Saskatchewan or Canada, I could tell from my research that USask was a smaller university where I would get to know my professors. USask also did a great job advertising their Access and Equity services, which was not something I had seen on other university websites. Finally, from what I could tell, USask seemed to have many services for international students and felt very inclusive.

What did your path look like since completing high school?

Milan: Since childhood, I have always been passionate about caring for others and helping those in need. When I finished high school in India, I thought to myself, “What’s next for me, where do I see myself going?” I decided I wanted a career in healthcare and took a brave step, left my family in India, and moved to Canada to pursue nursing. I took my pre-professional classes at the University of Regina, then applied for the BSN program at the University of Saskatchewan.

Cassey: I took the International Baccalaureate program in high school in Dubai, so I was lucky a lot of my high school credits transferred to my nursing prerequisites. I completed the remainder of my pre-professional year at the University of Saskatchewan before applying to the BSN program.

Tell us about your experience with the USask BSN program so far. 

Milan: My experience has been nothing short of phenomenal. I have had some of the best professors, instructors, and mentors.  It has been close to three years since I left India, but I have made not only some good friends, but friends that feel like family, a family that never lets me miss home. The best part of the program so far has been my clinical placements and patient interactions. These experiences leave me knowing that I can really make a positive impact in someone’s life.

While I’ve enjoyed clinical, some of my most challenging experiences have also come during these placements. There were times I had difficulties applying the skills practiced in labs, but I am grateful for my instructors, who were always there to answer questions and support me.

Cassey: I have enjoyed my clinical placements the most. At the start of a few placements, I felt I may not be well enough prepared, but I quickly overcome that feeling and it has been great to work in hospitals and be exposed to a variety of placements. In my short time at USask, I have built such a strong support team and made lifelong friends all because labs in nursing have small group sizes.

What has it been like coming to Canada? Saskatchewan? Saskatoon?

Milan: It has been a wild experience moving to Saskatchewan, where the weather is the complete opposite! Even though I had to transition from 40°C to -40°C, it was not as hard as I thought and I am now comfortably adapted to the weather.

I definitely experienced culture shock when I moved here. I used to wonder if I would ever fit into this society. I was overjoyed during my first week in Canada, but it soon hit me that I was in a different country and I did not know anyone and I became homesick. The first few weeks were quite difficult, but with time, I started socializing and made new friends. Everything was going well until the pandemic hit. I had been in Canada 2-3 months and everything changed, again. I was stuck at home and it was undeniably the hardest period of my life, especially being new to this country.

Gradually, as things started to reopen, I made a decision to move to Saskatoon from Regina. Fortunately, the people of Saskatoon are very welcoming of newcomers. I have made friends from various cultures and backgrounds and I enjoy learning about different cultures and traditions from around the world.

I have always been close with family and friends and moving was the hardest decision I have made. I am still a part of their lives, but it is not the same. I am missing a lot of birthdays, anniversaries, celebrations, and day-to-day memory making; however, it is a difficult choice I had to make in exchange for the future I am building here in Saskatchewan.

Cassey: Going through immigration at the border was nerve racking, but as soon as my family and I stepped outside the airport, we were amazed with Saskatoon. I remember feeling so disoriented because I had no concept of where we were on the map that my family and I had studied days prior to flying. We came three weeks before the semester started and explored the city, checked out the campus, and learned where I could buy groceries, where my accommodation was, and how I could get around the city.

I had only experienced snow once in my life and it was not to the extent that Saskatoon has. It was definitely fun to play in the snow with my family when we first arrived!

When my parents left, while I had prepared for it, actually going through the process, and not having anyone I knew or that I could lean on, was much harder than I thought. There were days I felt I wouldn’t be able to get through living so far away from my family and it was absolutely terrifying. But I met a few people that helped me get through! Also, calling my parents and having them remind me what I was doing and tell me how proud they were definitely helped me push through.

Once I joined the College of Nursing and we had labs with only 10-15 people, we got to know each other and I started to form real connections. I’ve met people I now consider life-long friends and I have a stronger support team than I could have wished for.

It has been incredibly difficult, and at times I have been disheartened, and burnt out, but there were and are so many moments that make me so glad I didn’t give up at the beginning.

I feel like I’m where I belong, and I wouldn’t have changed a single thing about the route I have chosen to get here!

What are your plans when you complete the BSN program?

Milan: After completing my nursing program, I would like to stay in Saskatchewan to build my nursing career. I am interested in becoming either an operating room nurse or working in emergency. Eventually, I would like to go into nursing education, maybe as an instructor or one day, a faculty member.

Cassey: I have fallen in love with both labor and delivery, and pediatric nursing. Not only do I enjoy working at the bedside, but I love the education aspect as well. These experiences have made me consider careers like healthy and home nursing for the future.

If someone is considering taking nursing at USask, what would you tell them?

Milan: My experience as a USask nursing student has been great so far. Not only does faculty care about students, but there are other student associations who also work to represent students and their concerns. The Saskatoon Campus has so much to offer students - recreational activities, events, help centers, libraries, places to eat, and much more.

If I gave advice to students who are considering taking nursing, I would tell them to make connections, volunteer, take part in events, participate in study groups, and work towards your goals. Study hard, but do not forget to take some time for yourself because I now know firsthand how busy the program can get. If you have a real passion for nursing, you will enjoy the USask environment, as everyone is supportive and there are multiple opportunities for hands-on learning experience.

Cassey: Nursing is a challenging, but very rewarding program. Everyone I have met in nursing is incredibly supportive. We’re all one big team. The experiences I’ve had so far have allowed me to grow as a person and I am so grateful for it.

One piece of advice I would give is to put yourself out there. It’s an incredibly supportive community and you’ll find you gain so much more by forming study groups. You’ll feel supported, more confident and because we do so much hands-on learning, by practicing with other people learning the same thing, it allows you to become better and more confident in the skills you perform.