Twenty undergraduate nursing students from the University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies (UMSONHS) are currently participating in a two-week international immersion experience in Madrid, Spain, as part of a hybrid global health course focused on transcultural nursing and international health care systems.
The cohort includes 14 students from the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program and six students from the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program. The students are accompanied by Johis Ortega, PhD, APRN, ACNP-BC, ENP-BC, FNP-BC, FAAN, FAANP, Associate Dean for Hemispheric and Global Initiatives at UMSONHS, and Julio Garcia, MSN, RN, NE-BC, Executive Director of Acute Care and Oncology Inpatient Services at UHealth – University of Miami Health System.
The international immersion represents the experiential component of a hybrid course that combines on-site global learning with subsequent online activities and face-to-face academic sessions. Through this course, the school provides students with structured transcultural nursing experiences across different international healthcare systems.
The program is designed to strengthen students’ understanding of health care systems and care delivery models outside of the United States. Through academic instruction and supervised clinical exposure, students engage in culturally grounded nursing experiences that promote the application and synthesis of foundational science knowledge while emphasizing ethical, legal, and culture-specific aspects of health care.
During their two weeks in Spain this January, the students are participating in a range of academic, clinical, and cultural activities, including visits to community health centers, shadowing nurses across different areas of practice, and learning firsthand about emergency medical services through a visit to Madrid’s principal emergency response system, SAMUR. The experience is further enriched by a cultural tour of the historic city of Toledo, allowing students to understand more about the social and historical contexts surrounding health care delivery in Spain.
“This immersive experience is intentionally designed to broaden our students’ global perspective and prepare them to deliver culturally responsive care in diverse settings,” said Dr. Ortega. “By engaging directly with nurses, community organizations, and health care systems abroad, students gain insights that cannot be replicated in the classroom alone.”
Julio Garcia added, “Exposure to international models of care delivery helps students appreciate different approaches to patient care, teamwork, and health system organization—skills that are essential in today’s interconnected health care environment.”
The Madrid immersion reflects the school’s continued commitment to global nursing education and to preparing future nurses with the competencies needed to address health challenges across cultures and health care systems worldwide.
