Four nursing students from the Universidad Autonoma de San Luis Potosi recently gained insight into Houston’s health care system and Lone Star College-CyFair’s nursing program.
Through a prestigious and competitive Fund for the Improvement of Post-secondary Education (FIPSE) grant that LSC-CyFair received, funding is provided for an exchange program between Canada, Mexico and the United States.
“The FIPSE grant provides the opportunity for nursing students to gain intimate knowledge of the diversity in health care delivery systems, health practices and cultural values that allow them to compare and contrast the nursing professions in their home and host countries,” said Margaret Ugalde, LSC-CyFair’s Director of Nursing Programs.
Last month, the UASLP students Nancy Zapata Vazquez, Carmina Delgadillo Azpeitia, Abelina Hernandez and Leticia Galvan Hernandez along with their teacher Olivia Alejandra Garcia Medina, observed LSC-CyFair campus life, attended nursing classes and clinical at area hospitals and took in some city sights, such as the museum’s Body World exhibition.
As the visitors completed their last week at LSC-CyFair, they gave a presentation on their university, such as the campus features, faculty, programs of study and costs, as well as their hometown in Mexico, such as the types of health services, food, public transportation and traditions. They also compared San Luis Potosi to their experience here and then fielded questions from LSC-CyFair nursing students.
This summer and next year students from across the Lone Star College System will become exchange students in Canada and Mexico as part of the FIPSE grant.
“We’re looking forward to hearing about the experiences of four LSCS students when they return from their visit to Red River College in Winnipeg, Canada, this June, as well as hosting the Canadian visitors next year,” said Ugalde.
Joining Ugalde as a host family for this year’s UASLP visitors were LSC-CyFair’s Christina Hagerty, Director of Sonography; Mary Anne Kelly, Division Operations Manager; Beatrice Apanda, Program Development and Corporate Training Staff Assistant II; and Cynthia Griffith, Dean of Health and Behavioral Sciences.
For information on applying for the nursing student travel experience to Canada and Mexico, contact Ugalde at Margaret.R.Ugalde@lonestar.edu. For information on the LSC-CyFair nursing programs, go to CyFair.LoneStar.edu.