During my weeks in Bucharest, Romania, on an international exchange through ENM and Sophiahemmet University, I observed and reflected on many differences, insights, and unexpected lessons. These experiences shaped a deeper understanding of how culture, healthcare, and humanity can look from the perspective of a Swedish nursing student stepping into a system with entirely different resources and possibilities.
I have gathered these reflections in a personal, reflective report written for anyone interested in how care, dignity, and everyday clinical realities are experienced across borders. It is not an academic assignment, nor was it required by the university, it is a voluntary essay shaped by curiosity, compassion, and a desire to understand the world more fully.
The lessons from Bucharest are many, some challenging, some beautiful, and all of them offer perspectives we can carry with us into our daily practice as healthcare providers.
If you have questions, thoughts, or simply want to know more, you are warmly welcome to reach out.
The experiences became the inspiration for my writing and eventually resulted in the book From Systems to Soul: A New Vision for Care. In the book, I explore what happens when efficiency replaces empathy and how meaning, presence, and humanity can once again guide the art of healing. I also reflect on emerging forms of leadership, the changing role of the patient, and how the future of healthcare might look if we reimagine care not as a system to fix, but as a relationship to restore. Read more >>
*The report is not to be shared or distributed without my consent.