Old cities offer a history and culture to students outside of the social sciences.

The nursing department sent two faculty members and nine students to London during Spring Break.

Sheila Hart, instructor of mental health nursing, and Shanna Griffiths, assistant professor of nursing, led the group.

Hart said the goals of the trip were to develop the students’ knowledge of healthcare systems in different cultures.

Only junior and senior-level nursing students were allowed to attend the trip.

The students learned about the lifestyles of London as well as the health care systems.

“It wasn’t just [one] different culture, but there’s a huge diversity of people,” said Johanna Carlson, junior nursing major.

Carlson said though there were some parts which were less enjoyable, she had a good overall experience.

She said the rain and wind were the worst parts.

“Even that (the rain and wind) we dealt with,” she said.

Though the focus of the trip was on nursing, the group saw many tourist sites during its visit.

The group visited Sigmund Freud’s home, the Nightingale Museum, Princess Community Clinic, Royal London Hospital, as well as the oldest operating theater in the world.

Josh Merriman, junior nursing major, said the trip gave him a better sense of the world around him.

For Merriman, the best part of the trip was going to the Speaker’s Corner.

The corner is a meeting place for persons who want to speak about topics on their mind.

“I’m an ex-philosophy major, and I was told it was fun,” Merriman said.

He also noted the differences in London and American health care systems.

One difference is London’s medical system is more socialistically based than the American system of medicine.

He said there are around 12 doctors for every 80,000 patients in certain clinics throughout the city.

Patients sometimes have a hard time getting in.

“You could see a doctor, but it may not be yours,” Merriman said.

The group also saw the British political system in action during an urgent time.

“We saw some stirring of security after the possible terrorist attack in Madrid, Spain,” Hart said.

Hart said the students received clinical hour credits of mental health nursing and family nursing courses for going on the trip.