14 February 2018 at 9:00 am

Norwegian health students head to Ara

Ara Institute of Canterbury has formed a partnership with Molde University College in Norway, creating exchange opportunities for staff and students to experience practices, facilities and health sector collaboration.

Jorun Tomte jorun93hotmail3.com

Norwegian student Jorun Tømte

 Ara formed the partnership for staff and students from New Zealand and Norway to study abroad as part of an internationalisation programme using International Education Growth Fund (IEGF) funding provided by ENZ.

Jorun Tømte was one of the first Norwegian nursing students to take up a semester-long study abroad experience at Ara during the second semester of 2017.  

“I didn’t really know too much about New Zealand, but I knew that the sociocultural norms and the health sectors were somewhat similar,” she said.

“My teachers were amazing. The lectures were diverse, which gave us the opportunity to acquire information in multiple ways.”

Ara has developed relationships with more than 20 institutes in Asia and 14 institutes in Europe, including Molde University College and the Norwegian University of Science & Technology in Norway. Ara also has institutional relationships in North America, India and Australia.

In mid-2018, Ara’s nursing, midwifery and medical imaging students will move into the city’s new Te Papa Hauora/Health Precinct. The world-class hub contains the Health Research Education Facility, a $70 million building that will be home to more than 1,000 Ara students as well as Canterbury District Health Board staff and University of Canterbury researchers.

The quality of Ara’s graduates is impressive. Ara’s medical imaging students were the first in the world to train on virtual reality platforms, and its nursing students have one of the highest pass rates and employment rates in New Zealand.

Each year, Ara welcomes some 1,800 international students from 90 countries.

Click here to watch a video of Jorun discussing her time at Ara.

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