Students immerse themselves in UK culture and history to understand one of the world’s oldest universal healthcare systems

London: For years, clinical professor Maureen Watkins had taught what the textbook said when it came to explaining the U.K. health model to her students on the administrative health care course.

But she decided that, in order to test the theory, there really was no better way to understand and teach it than to become immersed in the country itself.

So the board-certified clinical specialist in orthopedic physical therapy decided to set up a Dialogues of Civilizations course in London. “Health care and culture in the United Kingdom,” now in its second year, gives Northeastern University students enrolled in the U.S. the opportunity to live and study in the U.K. capital for five weeks over the summer in order to understand the way health care and medicine have evolved.

“I’ve been teaching that administrative health care course now for several years,” explains Watkins, “and so when we start to talk about health care in other countries, we always say that the U.K. has a really great NHS system, because that’s what the book says.

“And I thought, why don’t we go dig a little bit deeper? Let’s see what we can find out and really do a better, deeper dive into the heritage. I chose the NHS because it is one of the oldest universal health care systems in the world and London because it has access to understanding its history.”

The students, through classroom learning, guest talks and cultural visits, are given the chance to compare how a nationalized health provision, in the form of Britain’s National Health Service, fares in contrast to the insurance-led offerings found in the U.S.

From visiting the Houses of Parliament in London, to day-tripping to Canterbury, which is steeped in English religious history, to spending time at the Surgeons’ Hall Museums in Edinburgh, Scotland, Watkins says the out-of-class experience that forms part of the course enriches the students’ learning.