Looking back on what he experienced during the Global & Population Health Nursing Clinical Practicum in Spain, there was one special cultural detail that stuck out to fifth-semester BYU nursing student Justin Kimball: the country’s deep, prevalent Christian roots.
“Religion is kind of the center of life here. When you walk into a cathedral, there's images of Christ everywhere. I think that’s reflected in their culture.”
BYU College of Nursing professors Matt Anderson and Sondra Heaston traveled to Spain with 15 nursing students. Their goal was to absorb the rich Spanish culture, both inside and out of the clinic.
Surrounded by the stunning landmarks that capture Spain’s history, as well as amazing people like the Spanish nurses, students furthered their nursing education and gained an appreciation for the rich culture.
Spanish nurses are renowned across Europe for their excellent nursing skills, and shadowing them was an instructive experience for BYU nursing students.
Aside from being mentored by professionals, the group worked with local nursing students from the Universidad de Alcalá on community health education training. They taught basic skills in schools, assisted living homes, and other locations.
An international power outage that rocked both Spain and Portugal put a wrench in their plans, causing them to lose a day of clinical work.
This gave them some unanticipated time to soak in the beauty of Spain, visiting the Prado Museum, touring Spain’s oldest hospital, and more. They dove back into the work as soon as services allowed.
Though the culture was new and not all of the BYU students spoke Spanish, there were myriad opportunities to connect with people and minister to the one.
“[This practicum experience in Spain] was filled with things I’ll never get to do again,” enthused fifth-semester student Sydney Copeland. She recalls one select moment when she felt she was truly able to be a beacon of light to a particular patient.
During a clinical training, Sydney met a young woman that was about her age.
The girl was nervous from the moment she stepped into the clinic, and she had good reason to be— she was about to undergo a bone marrow biopsy.
This procedure involves drilling a needle into bone in order to sample the marrow within. It’s an important procedure for diagnosing issues in the blood, but it is also quite painful.
Sydney didn’t speak Spanish, but she knew the girl was struggling by her quiet crying. Sydney worried there wasn’t much she could do to comfort her. Still, she did what she could. Standing by her side as she underwent the procedure, Sydney was surprised when the girl reached out and grabbed her hand.
Gripping it tightly, Sydney did her best to be a resource for the girl despite the language barrier. When she reflects on that experience and others like it during the trip, Sydney says that “[she is] usually at a loss for words.”
This experience demonstrates that sharing light goes beyond words, and that connections can be made between people of two very different backgrounds.
Indeed, the students sought to be examples of Christ to all people and in all places. Another powerful manifestation of this was on the train, which they frequently rode home at night. In their public train cars, they would hold powerful devotionals, review their experiences, and pray vocally as a group.
One night, as they prayed, a nearby woman they didn’t know joined. Bowing her head and adding the occasional, reverent “amen,” she shared her sacred beliefs with them while they were sharing with her.
Like this woman, the students could also feel faith in Christ radiating from many Spanish people. “All the people we worked with just had so much love,” said Sydney happily.
This was the eighth year of the Global & Population Health Nursing Practicum in Spain, and students will return in coming years to experience the vibrant, faith-filled culture.