Five Nursing students of Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (UMY) perform student exchange in Ubon Ratchathani University (UBU), Thailand on January 16-30, 2017. They are Firdasani Desma Rosmala (2014), Endar Kurnianto (2014), Sirli Agustiani (2014), Dwi Inas Sari (2014), and Alfi Maulida Rahmah (2014).

In an interview on Tuesday (17/1), Endar Kurnianto expressed that he was jubilant to have an occasion to join the student exchange. “Our activities of this student exchange are attending lectures with other exchange students at the UBU, having campus tour, and visiting public health. The UBU parties are very welcome. We live in a dormitory and are facilitated by bicycles,” he told.

There were selection processes to join the student exchange. “We should submit several documents such as an academic transcript, a motivation letter, a medical consent letter, and certificates. Afterwards, we had an interview selection, asked a parent consent letter, and made a passport,” Endar mentioned.

He also expected that the student exchange could be beneficial for Department of Nursing and UMY. “Through this student exchange, we can recognize the a learning system at the UBU so that we may be able to provide some recommendations for the betterment of the Department of Nursing of UMY,” he added.

Meanwhile, the student exchange supervisor, Dinasti Pudang Binoriang, Ns., M.Kep., Sp.Kep.Kom., informed that this student exchange program is a means of internationalizing the Department of Nursing of UMY. “The students will notice and learn how nurse community carries out public health nursing at the UBU. In the end of their exchange, students are required to present what they have learned during the exchange,” he conveyed.

Pudang also asserted that the student exchange was the first cooperation between UMY and UBU. “I wish that this student exchange could always be conducted, and this cooperation may be fostered by organizing a conference, for instance,” he envisaged.