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International Health Care - Russia -
International Health Care - Russia

Program at a Glance

Location: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, Russia

Program Dates: Planned for 2005

Courses Available: NURS 3040/5040: Transcultural Approaches to Health Care, NURS 3050/5050: Field Study in Transcultural Care, NURS 3250: Society, Wellness, Illness, NURS 3060/7070: Special Topics Culture and Health Care: The Russian Experience, NURS 4070/7060: Directed Study

Cost: about $3,950

Program Dates, Structure and Course Structure

Students may take a maximum of six semester hours (two three-hour courses).  Program includes a week long homestay with Russian health care students and their families. Classroom instruction will be combined with unforgettable field trips, site visits, and cultural excursions. Orientation sessions prior to departure and on-site, as well as Web CT introductory material about Russian society and culture is a compulsory of the program.

Program Location

Russia is a vast & beautiful country that covers 1/6th of the earth. Russia has been through some incredible changes over the last decade. This program will include exposure to many of these changes, and introduce participants to the warmth and pride of the Russian people!

Students will learn about Russia’s health care delivery systems, quality of health care personnel, and the utilization of resources in the delivery of health care to achieve health outcomes for individuals and families at the community, local, regional, and national levels. Students in the program will visit selected health care facilities to examine the Russian transitional health care system first hand.

Students will be immersed in Russia’s rich cultural heritage. Excursions, organized activities, cultural and historical sites include visits to the Kremlin, the Hermitage, Raifa Monastery, the Bolshoi & Mariinsky theatres, Sergiev Posad and Palaces of the Romanov Tsars.

Accomodations and Meals

Accommodations will include a homestay in Kazan and hotel or dormitory in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Full breakfast and dinner meals are included in the travel package.

Program Costs

The package cost is about $3950 for the four-week program. This cost includes the following items:

  •  Roundtrip Airfare
  •  Ground and In-Country Transportation
  •  Lodging and most Meals
  •  Class field trips and Site visits
  •  Cultural excursions and activities

Requirements

Only students who have demonstrated serious academic motivation and personal maturity will be accepted to the program. Students must be prepared for the challenges of life in a transitional country, and be flexible, culturally open, and ready for the conditions of a different environment. Academic selection is subject to the following minimum requirement:
• Be in good academic standing
• Personal motivation, maturity, flexibility, seriousness of academic purpose, and willingness to work within the program’s design.

Students must meet all campus requirements in applying for financial aid.

Financial Aid

Courses in the 2005 International Health Care Study Program in Russia are part of the regular offerings of member institutions; therefore, students may apply for loans or grants for which they would normally be eligible. Students should apply for financial aid at the campus where they are registering for courses. Campus representatives will assist students in obtaining information about financial aid.

Registration

In most cases, students will register for 1-6 credits of courses offered with coursework they will complete in Russia. Students from other institutions should contact the program office at Valdosta State University for assistance. Students from participating USG institutions should meet with the study abroad advisor on their campus for more information.  Note that the program package cost does NOT include tuition fees. You should speak with your campus study abroad and/or financial aid advisor for further information related to covered program and tuition fees.

Passports and Visas

Everyone who travels to Russia must have a valid passport and visa to enter Russia. Participants who have expired passports should have them renewed. Participants who have passports that expire before December 31, 2005 should also have them renewed. Participants who have never had a passport should begin the process of obtaining one immediately; it sometimes takes six to eight weeks to get a passport (passport applications may be obtained from some U.S. Post Offices). Inquire at your local post office to find out where to get application forms and directions for obtaining a passport. All participants will be required to have a visa to enter and exit Russia. Program faculty will coordinate application for visas as a group.
The Program Director can assist students in obtaining visas to enter Russia.

Refund Policy

The $250.00 application fee/deposit is nonrefundable. Other program fees are not refundable after March 30, 2005 since program services are contracted in advance and must be paid whether or not the student is able to continue the program. Tuition will be refunded according to the University’s schedule of refunds. Limitations on airfare refunds may apply at any time after seats are reserved/purchased.

Course Structure

Courses are offered at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. In addition to the for-credit academic courses, introductory Russian language and culture activities will be offered in a web-based format prior to departure. Participating faculty have previous experience teaching study abroad programs and/or have lived, studied, or taught in Russia before. They are excited about the study abroad program in Russia this summer. We encourage you to contact the faculty to learn more about the program the courses they will offer.

Program Activities

Students will experience and learn about the following in Russia:

  •  Russian Life—Homestay and Online Experiences
  •  Russian History and Culture—Visits to Historic Sites and Cultural Activities
  •  Health Beliefs and Folk Practices
  •  Health Policy—Past and Present
  •  Overview of Social and Health Problems
  •  Health Care in Russia with Visits to Hospitals, Clinics, and other Health Care Facilities
  •  Education in Russia with Visits to a University and Medical University
  •  Visits to Three Distinct Cities:
    •  Kazan — Life in the Provinces
    •  Moscow — the Political Center of Russia;
    •  St. Petersburg—the Artistic Center of Russia
  •  Overnight Travel by Train
  •  Cultural Activities that Reflect the Breadth of Russian Culture

Contact

If you do not have a campus contact or are unable to obtain information that you need, please write or call the program administrator.

Dr. Quincealea Brunk
Program Director
PH: 229-834-1872
e-mail: qbrunk@valdosta.edu

David Starling
Assistant Director & Study Abroad Coordinator
Center for International Programs
1500 N. Patterson Street
Valdosta State University
Valdosta, GA 31698-0037
Pqbrunk@valdosta.eduH 229-333-7410
Email dstarlin@valdosta.edu