University of South-Eastern Norway and Kamuzu University of Health Sciences are collaborating on student exchanges within nursing education. After a long covid-break, the Erasmus+ Global Mobility funds was completed June 2023.
The collaboration ensures that students from Norway travel to Malawi for clinical placement, while Malawian students come to USN for courses and skills training, financed by the Global Mobility stipends. The global mobility fund also provided opportunities for Staff Exchanges. Two USN nursing staff visited KUHES, and two KUHES nursing staff visited USN.
Stellia, Verenasi, Maxwell, Elijah, Clifton, Prisca and Racheal were the seven last Malawian participants, exchanging to Norway from January-April 2023.
Here they share their experiences from their stay in Norway.
Preparation process
The students were selected by their home university, based on good academic merits. The opportunity came upon them a bit quickly, without much knowledge of the partnership or host university in advance.
The seven students were selected to go to Norway when the information came that the possibility was there. It had been some time since the first round of exchanges, due to the Covid-19 and travel restrictions.
They travelled to Norway in the middle of the winter, starting their stay in January 2023, and up to April three months later. At the end of the stay, they share their first thoughts when hearing about the opportunity:
"I didn’t even know there is a place called Norway, had to google and ask some people. Most of the time they have snow. Ok, let me go an be in the cold weather."
Weather
People would say to the students that were they were going, there is a lot of snow. "I had only seen snow in movies, so I was excited to see that for real". They share that they had not really felt the reel feeling of being cold, what to expect and how people deal or dress to meet the weather. "At the airport, we were a bit worried on arrival. Everything was new, we were not sure where we were going."
It took about two-weeks before starting to relax. Since Norwegian winters are dark, it took some time to adapt to only seeing a glimpse of sun for a very few hours during the day, and that by four, it would be dark already.
Food
Food is always important and a feeling of safety. The students explain how they did worry, they had no idea what Norwegians were eating, for all we know "they could be eating frogs" in Norway. They got advice to bring food from home, just in case. Before their departure to Norway, they got to meet the Norwegian students that were on nursing placement in Malawi, and they had told them that it is quite common to eat a lot of bread in Norway.
Inclusion
They eagerly explain how various expectations of going to a European country, were both met and not as expected. Inputs from movies and media made them concerned that racism may occur. The feeling of being safe and included and the positive experience that skin color or racism was not the issue as they had been worrying about: "I was thinking that things would be complicated, for example walking freely, due to brown skin."
Some of the students had been thinking that the country was very restricted, in such ways that you cannot walk around without carrying your passport on you. It was a pleasant discovery that nobody asked about this or questioned why they were there.
The students were in groups with USN Norwegian students, and experienced how the other students actively considered it important to listen to all group members inputs in such work. They felt that their class mates made a point of being sure that you understand the topic.
"The students here are friendly, different from what I expected, and we have also met for social events. They ask a lot of questions about Malawi and give advice on activities to do here".
Academic and personal growth
The students had initially been thinking that Norwegians has English as a national language, but realized during preparations to travel, that the national language is Norwegian. And they have learned some of the language, all though it is a difficult one to learn.
They explain that studying in Norway is different than in Malawi. At first it was a bit confusing, since it is less time that they have to be present at the university, while you should attend full days at KUHES. As described by Clifton; "Learning here is self-initiated, you must do it on your own. That gives you freedom, but also demands self-control and structure". They see the benefits of both systems of instruction.
There are restrictions on nursing students with regards to things like it is not a positive thing to have a tattoo if you are training to be a nurse, are very different than in Norway, where that is not an issue.
The students highlight how the experience has made them more sure of themselves, has pushed them to try new things and be bolder in class. One talks of speaking in public, and how group work and classmates made is safe to try and supported him to gain confidence in this regard, something that was an important step that will be useful for the future. Another shares that "being here has boost me to be a bit courageous. Most of the times someone tells me to speak, if it is a group and they ask me to speak. Just find yourself talking."
And they all share the notion that the experience of going abroad was in itself valuable, simply to open up for the thought that this is possible: "I always wanted to study abroad and to travel, it has been my dream. I wanted to experience nursing 'on the other side'. Now I can comfortably say that I can travel abroad, I know it is possible and that I am able to do it."
Please share one story from the stay that you will remember
The students state that the entire experience is memorable, and will not be forgotten. They also highlight the simulation training that was done during the stay. It was simulation of a trauma situation, where an ambulance came to the university, including ambulance staff. They learned a lot from this and got to share knowledge from the Malawian setting in this training. Fun, educating and they have many thought on how inputs from this part could be brought back and implemented in Malawi.
"We don’t have ambulance services like the one you have here. It is mostly for transferring patients that are already in the clinic to the hospital. And if you have been called at the hospital that there is an accident, you take them to the ambulance. We do not have special staff for ambulance. Even though the situation is different in Malawi, now we learned something about what to do in an emergency, even if the ambulance service is not there. We are not going to be bystanders."
The students share ideas on how nursing students can prepare people who are normally helping out in emergency situations, for example by go the areas where accidents normally happening and training the locals on basic emergency action.
Anything you want to share with other students and employees that you think they should learn about your home country?
- They should get used that everyone that have the eager to talk to them, they should say hi back. They have to get used to that.
- The weather, they will not expect the weather, when it rains it rains cats and dogs.
- Public transport is very different, Taxis (minibuss) are overcrowded, they do not leave on time, but when it is full.
- They should be ready for the food: nsima, beans, fish, beans, vegetable, eggs, soy beans is very common at universities, a cheaper option for students than meat.
- Rice with chambo fish – the best chambo in the world, found in Malawi. When you are in Malawi and someone prepares that it means “I am loved”.
Any final feedback you would like to share with us?
"It was amazing!"
Exchange courses taken at USN: