Today was our third full day in Bilbao, and it focused on learning about research, education, and how ideas are applied to real-world applications. We had two presentations in the morning. During the first presentation, we compared nursing education in Spain versus the United States. My biggest surprise was how many clinical hours nursing students receive in Spain. Instead of spreading clinicals out over the academic year, students work almost like regular hospital shifts for months at a time with no classes. In their first year, they already have the opportunity to work in a hospital for an entire month. They are exposed to a wide range of experiences, which I found really interesting and very different from what we do in the United States. Once again, the accessibility of healthcare in Spain was emphasized, and it highlighted how the U.S. differs, especially in how costs can affect whether patients receive care.
The second presentation was more engineering-focused and centered on the process behind starting research. The speaker explained how engineers begin by identifying a problem, thinking through possible solutions, and then designing and testing them. This discussion stood out to me because I knew testing was complex, but I didn’t realize just how in-depth it can be or how one small change can affect an entire project. It was really interesting to hear this perspective from the engineering side. We also learned about collaboration and how interdisciplinary the relationship between nurses and engineers truly is.
After lunch in the cafeteria, we participated in a cooking class. We prepared pintxos, tortillas, and a cream-based dessert. It was a really fun experience and felt like a great way to end the day and decompress. We got to see how common Basque dishes are made, which made the experience even more meaningful. After the cooking class, we had some time to walk around the city and visit a few shops. Overall, it was an eventful day that connected academic concepts while also giving us insight into daily life in Bilbao
