The value of a sabbatical: Four countries,three conferences and two homecomings

Much has been written about the nature of a sabbatical. Definitions point to the derivation of the word from the Hebrew Shabbat (Sabbath) and the Greek sabbatikos (a ceasing). Readers are likely to consider a sabbatical as a rest or break from work and/or, perhaps, as providing the time and space to make progress with a project such as writing a book. For me, a sabbatical meant travelling to, and spending time in other places, with a view to gaining new perspectives and learning about different cultures regarding ethics and elder care.

I was easily persuaded by the perspective of British author, Terry Pratchett, who wrote:

Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you come from with new eyes and extra colours. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving. ¹

During my sabbatical, I had the pleasure of spending time in the United States: at the National Center for Bioethics in Research and Health Care, Tuskegee University ² ; at the Kennedy Institute of Ethics ³ ; at the Hastings Center ⁴ and at University of California San Francisco. ⁵ As those of you who have visited the United States know, every state is like a different country and each state has an abundance of historical, cultural and relational riches to learn from.

I also spent time in Ireland at University College Cork, ⁶ at Xiamen University in China ⁷ and in Kyoto Tachibana University in Japan. ⁸ In each destination, I worked with local colleagues who enabled me to visit elder care facilities and to talk with students, practitioners and academics with a wide range of perspectives on ethics and elder care. I kept a blog detailing some of the many wonderful experiences I had. ⁹

It is timely to take stock, and to share some of the benefits of a sabbatical. It is hoped that readers will avail of such an opportunity should their organisation support this.

The first benefit of a sabbatical is that the time away enables exposure to new ideas, to new contexts and to new people. Some of the relationships made on my journey developed into friendships that will endure and new collaborations that will reap rewards for the international field of ethics and care. There have already been co-authored articles, a successful funding application and plans for future nursing/care ethics conferences in China and in the United States. I also feel privileged to have been invited to take up a Visiting Scholar position with the Bioethics Centre at Tuskegee University.

Second, a sabbatical can result in a heightened sense of appreciation of what has been familiar to us: people, places and philosophies. Since my return, I have thoroughly enjoyed catching up with family, friends and colleagues. I have been savouring the beauty of my second home, Surrey, and the diversity of London. I also better appreciate our education, research and care practices which are underpinned by a commitment to developing and sustaining ethical care.

Third, a sabbatical provides the opportunity to recharge and to reconsider professional and personal priorities. I was challenged, surprised and delighted to discover cross-cultural similarities (e.g. some shared civil rights history between Alabama and Northern Ireland) and to uncover differences in terms of etiquette to demonstrate respect for others. A sabbatical, particularly where travel to other places is involved, heightens the ability to think critically about one’s current academic activities and future direction of travel.

It now seems a long time ago since my arrival in Alabama last September. There I pondered the meaning of ‘sabbatical’ and the privilege of a Fulbright scholarship. During my time in the United States, I learnt a great deal about different approaches to bioethics and about cultural aspects of ethics and ageing. I had reason also to visit Kansas and Los Angeles. There is much diversity in the United States and I learnt that there is much to be gained from asking, listening and visiting.

In China and Japan, I had many opportunities to talk with a wide range of practitioners, researchers and students and to visit elder care facilities. I benefitted from engaging with Eastern perspectives on elder care policy, practice and philosophy. Professor Yonghui Ma and I co-authored a blog relating to the impact of the one child policy on the future of elder care. ¹⁰

My sabbatical period came to an end in my first home country, Ireland, as it hosted three conferences over the summer. Professor Anne Scott and colleagues at Galway University ran the Nursing Philosophy conference on the theme of missed care, organisation ethics and the appropriate use of nursing resource. In September of this year our annual nursing and care ethics conference was hosted by Dr Joan McCarthy and colleagues at University College Cork. The theme of ‘Gender, Justice and Care’ brought together over 130 colleagues to share scholarship and research and to engage in discussion about some of the most pressing international issues. A week later, Dr Tom Walker brought together international scholars to discuss the theme of ‘Ethics and Chronic Illness’ at Queen’ University in Belfast.

So all in all, a wonderful sabbatical and a new appreciation of my home environments and of the value of bringing to bear insights from cross-cultural conversations, visits and friendships. I came across this quotation that captures some of what I had like to get across:

It is a big world, full of things that steal your breath and fill your belly with fire…But where you go when you leave isn’t as important as where you go when you come home. ¹¹