Granada Hills Nursing Student Studies Diversity at Hadassah

Growing up in “The Valley,” diversity was the norm for Vivian Kim. “As a kid I knew that Uncle Jerry was my dad’s best friend,” said Kim, 22. “Even though he’s a white American, it never occurred to me until I was older that he’s not actually a blood relation.”

Kim’s parents arrived in California from South Korea 30 years ago. “My classmates were always from different backgrounds and my best friend growing up is Jewish.” As she searched for a career in high school, her best friend’s mother suggested Kim accompany her to work at Kaiser Hospital. "There, I realized that I saw something in nurses that I see in myself. That's when I decided to become a nurse."

When it was time for college, Kim knew she wanted to excel in her chosen profession.
"I just googled best nursing schools and Penn kept coming up as number one," she said. Kim always planned on including study abroad in her college experience, and when her roommate suggested Israel, she would not be deterred. "When I made my decision to go, there was no talking me out of it. My parents were hesitant at first, but they saw how well my decision to go
to Penn was for me and supported me going to Hadassah.”

The first major change was adapting to Israel's more casual nature."Everything is more formal at Penn. We would never call a professor by their first name there! But here, that's just what is
done."

During their semester at the Henrietta Szold Hadassah – Hebrew University School of Nursing, the exchange students from Penn focused on community health. “The health system is so different in Israel - and so reliant on nurses - that I knew I would learn a lot,” said Kim.

As part of their studies, Kim observed community nurses in a clinic in the ultra-Orthodox neighborhood of Meah Shearim, infamous for its stringent modesty rules. “I was a little nervous going there,” said Kim. “We were prepared that some of the men don’t even look women in the eye. With almost no Hebrew, I couldn’t speak to the patients either. But, when one of our patients finished his treatment, he brought back a cookie for me and the male nurse I was observing.
It was the most moving experience. That ultra-Orthodox patient I was so worried about ended up showing his appreciation of me as a nurse, without using words.”

More hands-on training brought Kim to an Arab village on the outskirts of Jerusalem where she observed a community nurse treating homebound patients. “Every family was waiting excitedly for the nurse’s visit,” said Kim. “In the US, health is much more private. In Israel, every patient has a family and the nurse does so much for both the patient and his family during that home visit. The nurse lit up everyone’s face when she walked in the door.

“It was just one semester, but I formed so many relationships,” said Kim. “My semester at Hadassah will impact the nurse I become, especially since I plan on specializing in community health.”

Photo Caption: (Left to right) - Univ. of Penn Nursing Students Liat Greenwood, Naomi Shapiro, Vivian Kim, Susan Wang