Robert Gordon University is really unique in that it is not like any category of institution we have in the United States. It is focused on vocational and professional education. So while it has some of the fields we might see in our 2 year institutions (medical technology) it also has architecture, business and engineering. They have very close ties to the oil and petroleum industry since Aberdeen is booming with job growth in that area. They have fantastic looking buildings and seem very much to be a rapidly expanding institution. They are very proud of their job placement statistics and see business and industry as the customer rather than the student. That does not mean that they don't care about students, but their goal is to get students placed.
One thing I found particularly unique is that they use volunteer "patients" for their nursing students and have them conduct intake sessions. Then the patients evaluate the experience in terms of patient-client interaction. This seems like a great way to impart some of the soft skills that are important in the medical field. I am not sure if this sort of thing is done in the U.S. nursing programs, but it seems like a wonderful approach.
