Honors nursing majors (left to right) Aoife Riordan, Emma Holleran and Kim Steinberg visit the Ring of Kerry, renowned for its dramatic Atlantic coastlines, while spending a semester abroad in Ireland.

Beyond traditional clinicals

Article by Amy Cherry Photos courtesy of Emma Holleran July 10, 2026

Honors nursing students study abroad in Ireland, teaching English to Ukrainian refugees and developing cultural competence

As she sat in the Philadelphia Airport awaiting her flight to Ireland, University of Delaware nursing student Kim Steinberg was already feeling homesick.

Fast-forward four months: “I was sadder to leave Ireland than I was to go there,” Steinberg said.

Her roommate, Emma Holleran, remembers feeling similarly on her first day at UD. Just 30 minutes away from her home in Middletown, she kept telling herself, “You can always go home.” That thought pushed her to put one foot in front of the other as she boarded the plane to Ireland.

Holleran, Steinberg and Aoife Riordan, all honors nursing majors, were among 14 students who spent the semester abroad at the University of Limerick (UL) through a partnership with UD’s School of Nursing (SON). In its fourth year, the program allows students to spend an entire semester abroad in Ireland — a rarity for nursing students. There, they take nursing courses, learn alongside students from around the world, travel across Europe and participate in immersive clinical experiences.

Honors nursing majors (left to right) Aoife Riordan, Kim Steinberg and Emma Holleran received the President’s Volunteer Service Bronze Award from the University of Limerick for teaching English to Ukrainian refugees as part of their clinicals.

“The UL experience is second to none,” said Elizabeth Speakman, chief nurse administrator and senior associate dean of SON. “I’m so proud of these students for stepping out of their comfort zone and embracing opportunities that will shape them as nurses and global citizens. Healthcare is increasingly interconnected, and experiences like this help our students develop the cultural awareness, adaptability and communication skills needed to care for patients from diverse backgrounds anywhere in the world.”

All students completed at least 28 hours of community service as part of their clinical experience. For their clinical, the trio taught English to Ukrainian refugees.

“It was like a flashback to high school Spanish class,” joked Riordan.

Except this time, they were the teachers. Working with a UL teacher, the students made lesson plans that included engagement and learning through word games. On Fridays, they hosted Conversation Club, a more relaxed learning environment, where friendships were made.

Holleran was amazed at the refugees’ progress.

At the University of Limerick, honors nursing majors Emma Holleran, Kim Steinberg and Aoife Riordan worked with a University of Limerick educator (left) on lesson plans and developed games to help teach English to Ukrainian refugees.

“It was so nice to see those who excelled help those who were struggling. By the end, they were joking in English. I learned Spanish for five years, and I can’t tell a joke in Spanish,” Holleran said. “Making a joke and having it land with a native speaker shows how far they’ve come.”

All three students received the President’s Volunteer Service Bronze Award from UL.

“Being honored made us feel truly a part of the UL community,” Steinberg said.

At first, the students were nervous about missing out on clinicals in Delaware, but Holleran says they learned a great deal by working with Ukrainian refugees.

“Our experience went beyond taking vitals, which we’ll do for the rest of our lives as nurses,” Holleran said. “But you can’t teach yourself cultural competence. We learned how to see patients as people and understand what they’ve gone through that affects their health.”

(Left to right) Emma Holleran, Kim Steinberg and Aoife Riordan, honors nursing majors and roommates, at the Stables Club, the largest club on the University of Limerick’s campus.

They also toured Ireland, visiting the famous Cliffs of Moher, Galway, Cork and Dingle, and traveled to nine European countries, from Hungary to Croatia.

“This isn’t something everyone gets to do; some people live in America and never leave the state they live in,” Holleran said. “I’m so grateful and so much more worldly than I could’ve imagined. It’s an experience I’ll cherish forever.”

The students returned to the U.S. for the summer as different people, equipped with a newfound confidence they’ll carry into their future nursing careers.

“I feel like now I could talk to anyone on the street. I am now so much more confident in my communication skills,” Riordan said.

They also encourage current nursing students to study abroad.

“I almost said ‘no,’” Steinberg said. “I was worried about my friends at UD continuing life without me, but you’ll only be 20 traveling around Europe for four months once in your life. We explored the world and changed our perspective; it’s something I’ll never forget. It really was the best experience ever.”