"My name is Maria Raiou. I’m a 22 years old nurse student from Greece and I decided to travel to Latvia for a 3 months long internship in Children’s hospital through the Erasmus+ exchange programme.

The receiving institution was Red Cross Medical College in Riga. I decided to participate in the Erasmus exchange programme because I wanted to gain experience from a different workplace other than in my country. I specifically chose to cooperate with Red Cross Medical College due to one of my fellow students that had been there one year before me; he was very satisfied with everyone and everything in Riga and he highly recommended me to go there.

My practice took place in Children’s Hospital and my experience there met my expectations. My coordinator was very friendly and always willing to help me with everything I needed from the very beginning till the end. All of my mentors and supervisors in every department I have been were also very nice and helpful with me; they showed me everything about the nursing duties and helped me adjust in the workplace. I learned a lot about the Latvian Health System and identified some differences from the Greek one. Most patients and their parents were speaking English, so the communication was not a big problem.

During my practice I developed and improvised many skills such as adaptability, team working and problem solving. I learned about my strengths and my weaknesses and I can say that I am more confident and convinced about my abilities since I increased my nursing skills. Except the hospital’s staff I also cooperated with other students, both Latvian and international and it was very interesting. One of the main benefits of my traineeship in Children’s hospital was that I experienced many health problems and cases I had never met before and took care of some special patients.

During my mobility in Latvia I had the chance to travel around the country and get to know more about Latvian culture and the beauty of the nature along with my new friends. I also tasted the local cuisine and I was really impressed by it.

I would highly recommend Riga to other students as their Erasmus destination and Red Cross Medical College specifically as their receiving institution (if they belong in health field). I am very grateful for my training experience there. Riga is an ideal destination because it is neither too big nor too small as a city. In addition, you can easily travel around without spending too much money. I would also advise next students to be well prepared if they spend their winter time in Riga because it is cold, but it is really beautiful, so the weather is not something that should turn them down. Overall, the adjustment in Riga is not difficult.

To conclude, my Erasmus experience was one of the best in my entire life and I strongly believe that every student should take the chance and go for it!"

Maria Raiou

Student from Greece