BPH 487: Global Health Practicum is an elective that gives University of Miami undergraduate students the chance to learn first-hand about health systems around the world while examining related ethical, legal, and culturally specific topics. To date, students in the summer course have explored private and public health care settings in the Dominican Republic, Chile, Peru, India, Spain, and beyond. This summer, for the first time, participants had the chance to add Romania—land of Transylvania fame and Dracula lore—to their international itinerary. Dr. Diego Deleon, the program’s long-time coordinator and School of Nursing and Health Studies faculty member, curated this promising new collaboration in Southeastern Europe’s largest nation after a chance encounter last year with a group of Romanian students who were also visiting the school’s academic host in Madrid, the Universidad Francisco de Vitoria. Dr. Deleon quickly decided his 2025 practicum would be split between the two European nations, giving his students a double dose of learning at the intersection of health care and technology. “They’re going to have twice the amount of work because they are going to learn about two systems, including a post-Communist system, which still retains a lot of the influence of Communism when it comes to health care,” said Dr. Deleon. After traversing Madrid and Toledo, the students flew into Romania, touring Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy and St. Luke’s Hospital of Chronic Diseases in the capital city of Bucharest, and a noted pediatric hospital in the much-smaller riverside city Pitești. Ten Miami students, including nursing, public health, health science, neuroscience, and business majors, took part in Dr. Deleon’s inaugural Spanish-Romanian expedition. Nursing major Tessa Fabiano, a rising sophomore, shared her insights in this Q&A.
What did you think of the practicum?
Tessa Fabiano: This trip was the best experience I have had in my educational career. Not only did we get to learn health care systems in person and meet people we never would have met; we also got to explore so many different cultures and landscapes while getting to know students from both Romania and Spain. We made so many friends with the students from these universities and learned more than we could ever have imagined. This is the type of educational program that really makes UMiami special.
What were the most positive aspects for you?
My favorite part was going to the nursing school in Bucharest, where we took part in interactive simulation and virtual reality activities. We got to practice assisting with a live birth, provider “soft” skills like communication, and hand-eye coordination relating to surgery. I am so grateful for the way Dr. Deleon organized the trip. He made it worthwhile. The hospital visits were very well organized. Our group benefited greatly from seeing everything in person and getting to ask the practicing health care workers in those countries any questions we had. The staff in each place was very knowledgeable. We also had so much time to explore the areas we were in.
What did you learn that stood out to you or surprised you?
I learned that the health care systems in both Romania and Spain are majority public facilities that all citizens pay into. A large portion of citizens’ salaries go to paying for the public health care services. Because of this, though, it takes a long time to get appointments and care in these countries since you are competing with everyone else. Both countries have private facilities like we do in the US, but they are much less common and would be an added cost on top of the taxes already paid for the public health care. I was very surprised at the level of technology the Romanian facilities had. I know it is still a developing country, but the technology we used there was comparable to what I’ve seen in Spain and in many cases in the US.
What was your biggest takeaway?
My biggest takeaway was how vastly different the education and health care systems are from one country to another, but the competencies of nurses and health care providers remain consistent from one country to the next. Even though each country does things differently, each maintains the proper training and attention to detail when it comes to education and health care. The nurses in Romania are as competent as the nurses in Spain or the US.
