Short-Term Reciprocal International Academic Exchange Program

The role of language skills and internationalization in nursing degree programmes: A literature review

Globalization and internationalization have had major influences on higher education, including nursing education. Since the signing of the Bologna declaration, many institutions in Europe have adopted English as the "scientific lingua franca", and have instated courses and entire degree programmes taught in English. Several countries in the European Union also offer nursing degree programmes in English. With the rise of multilingualism in Europe, new challenges have become apparent in multilingual education. The Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) approach has emerged as a new, innovative way to learn languages. The approach has become mainstream in primary and secondary education with proven success, and has also spread to higher education. Nurses are required to develop their linguistic skills such that they can communicate well with their patients and colleagues. Due to globalization, nurses are faced with increasingly diverse patients, presenting new challenges in nursing education concerning linguistic and transcultural preparation of students. Although CLIL is becoming more widely accepted in many academic faculties, it has not yet been studied sufficiently in the nursing education context.

The Value of Community-Focused Interprofessional Care in Peru for Developing Cultural Competency in Health Professions Students

International immersion experiences for health-care students have increased over the past 10 years. Students and faculty expect these experiences to increase cultural competency; however, research on outcomes of these programs has lacked rigor. Over a 4-year period, groups of nursing and other health professions students spent 3 weeks in Peru providing primary care and health education. Students attended pre-departure seminars addressing personal travel health and safety, culture and health care in Peru, working with interpreters, and ethics of international health care. Student participants (N = 77) completed an instrument assessing self-perceived cultural competency before and after the experience. Results of pre- and post-immersion scores showed significant increases in perceived cultural competency and increased self-efficacy in cultural knowledge, skills, and attitudes for four groups of students. Implications and future directions are discussed and recommended.

Challenges and Opportunities of International Clinical Practica

International clinical practica are a strategy to integrate a global dimension in nursing curricula and achieve culturally sensitive nursing practice. In this paper, a review of the history and development of international practica for nursing students is presented, and research evaluating the effectiveness and impact of international experiences is analyzed. A description of experiences working with Canadian nursing students is used to highlight the challenges and opportunities inherent to international clinical practica. International student experiences involving clinical practica pose challenges that are additional to, and often more complex than, those faced in traditional international, course-based exchanges. The significant opportunities, however, continue to make international student practica a desirable and positive experience for Canadian nursing students.

The impact of international placements on nurses' personal and professional lives: literature review

AIM

This paper presents a critical review of research literature on the impact of international placements on the lives and practice of nurses.

BACKGROUND

Health care institutions are progressively more aware of the need to respond to diverse patient populations and cultivate leaders to enrich the nursing profession, both locally and globally. One response has been to establish international exchange programmes for nursing students to give them experience of different cultures and health care systems.

METHODS

A search of the literature from 1980 to 2003 using electronic databases was undertaken using the databases CINAHL, ERIC, British Nursing Index, Web of Science, the BIDS Social Science Citation Index and Medline. The keywords used were 'international exchange experience', 'international studies', 'international education', 'international placement(s)', 'exchange programme(s)', combined with 'nurses/nursing', combined with 'evaluation', 'practice', 'education' and/or 'policy'. The papers retrieved used both qualitative and quantitative approaches and were scrutinized for recurring themes.

FINDINGS

Nurses reported significant changes in their personal development, perspectives on nursing practice and critical appraisal of health care systems. They also indicated an increased appreciation and sensitivity towards cultural issues and cross-cultural care. Moreover, differences in placement programmes, such as duration, preparation and debriefing were found to have affected the reported overall international placement experience. However, the primary effects of international placements were identified as personal development and transcultural adaptation.

CONCLUSION

Students should be exposed to a variety of nursing experiences within the host country. This would give them a broad spectrum for comparisons between cultures, nursing practice and health care delivery in those cultures. Therefore, educational institutions are strongly encouraged to provide opportunities for students to participate in nursing care and education in another country.

Creating an international nursing practice and education workplace

In today's global workplace, both nursing practice and education need to promote international health. Nurses from a comprehensive 373-patient-bed hospital at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and faculty from the College of Nursing, University of Cincinnati, in southwest Ohio have successfully collaborated to develop several unique international nursing exchange programs. The goals of these programs are to increase cultural sensitivity and nursing knowledge relevant to a global community. The essential components used in creating and implementing the programs with Scotland, Honduras, and Korea will serve as an international workplace model for others, especially for those settings focused on children and family health care.

International nursing research and educational exchanges: A review of the literature

For more than 40 years, nurses have been involved in international programs and networks established to strengthen nursing education and research in developed and developing countries. After discussing international educational and research exchanges at the American Academy of Nursing's International Expert Panel, we reviewed the state of the literature about these collaborations to evaluate the results. MEDLINE and CINAHL were searched for papers between 1982-2003 on international nursing education exchange programs. The 79 papers identified and reviewed included, primarily, descriptions of or experiences with the exchanges. Most were written by faculty, even though most exchanges were for students. Most papers were written by persons from only one side of the exchange. Literature on this topic needs to begin including a theoretical basis and review of the literature; more research on and evaluation of the effects of these programs is needed.

A Study Abroad Experience in Guatemala: Learning First-Hand about Health, Education, and Social Welfare in a Low-Resource Country

The demographic characteristics of the United States are rapidly changing as the nation becomes more culturally, racially, and ethnically diverse. In light of these changes, it is increasingly important that health care professionals develop cultural competence and understanding. Study abroad experiences can help students learn first-hand about other cultures and can promote the development of enhanced cultural sensitivity and competence. Although there are many advantages and benefits of study-abroad experiences, these experiences also present unique challenges for both students and faculty. This article presents a description of a 3-credit elective study abroad course that was offered for graduate or undergraduate credit in the summer of 2003 in Guatemala, including a description of course objectives, the process of planning and implementing the course from the faculty’s perspective, and one student’s perceptions of her study abroad experience.

Expanding the boundaries of medical education: evidence for cross-cultural exchanges

PROBLEM STATEMENT AND BACKGROUND

Cross-cultural experiences are in increasing demand by both graduate and undergraduate medical students, yet the benefits of these experiences are not clearly established.

METHOD

A review of the literature was conducted to identify articles on the outcomes of cross-cultural experiences. Themes were identified and categorized into domains.

RESULTS

Forty-two studies were found; 27 articles used qualitative methods, nine used quantitative methods, and six used both. Most (24) were from the nursing literature, 18 were from the medical literature. All studies reported positive outcomes along four domains: students' professional development, students' personal development, medical school benefits, and host population benefits.

CONCLUSIONS

Studies reviewed were primarily case controlled or case series. Future research is needed that more clearly defines outcome measures and uses more rigorous methods. Although results suggest positive outcomes in all domains, additional research is needed before cross-cultural rotations can be supported based on evidence.

Curriculum Considerations for Enhancing Baccalaureate Learning for International Students

BACKGROUND

International students studying nursing in the United States present unique teaching opportunities and challenges. Student language, culture, and academic expectations are major factors for faculty to consider in delivering international education.

METHODS

An RN to BSN program provides baccalaureate completion study for registered nurses residing in Israel. Students can choose to complete the final semester in the United States.

FINDINGS

Israeli nursing students demonstrate a strong collectivistic orientation to their academic work. Issues related to English language fluency and academic paper preparation were identified.

CONCLUSION

Success in international teaching endeavors is facilitated when faculty carefully evaluate course materials and assignments. Clarity of language, cultural expectations, and availability of academic resources are important considerations for promoting student success.

Nursing in a diverse community: a narrative review

Almost 6% of Britain's population are of black or minority ethnic origin. There is increasing recognition that the health needs of such groups are not adequately met within the current health care system. One factor in reducing health inequalities is for health professionals to become culturally aware in order to serve these communities effectively. This literature review focuses on pre-registration nursing programmes that address cultural sensitivity as part of basic training. The studies were selected by a computerized search of a number of databases and a hand search of selected nursing journals. The papers were reviewed under the following headings: setting, programme design, conceptual framework, curricula content, student assessment, and course evaluation. The programmes presented were undertaken predominantly in the USA. Either few programmes exist in the UK, or the programme details have not been published. Although, in the UK, cultural sensitivity training appears in its infancy, there are positive signs of change.

Experiences of Japanese Nurse Scholars: Insights for U.S. Faculty

The purpose of this paper is to describe the international educational experiences of Japanese nurse scholars to develop more understanding within academic settings in the United States (U.S.). Based on Heideggerian phenomenology, interpretive methods were used to analyze 42 interviews. Participants of this study were 22 Japanese nurse scholars who had received or were in the process of receiving master or doctoral degrees from schools of nursing in the U.S., and three Japanese nurse consultants. To build trust and aid with self-disclosure, participants were interviewed up to three times. The analytic process used overlapping strategies, including early identification of principal themes, interpretive writing based on exemplars, and paradigm cases illustrative of major themes. Themes discussed in this paper include: changes in the sense of self; cultural differences in self-disclosure; the importance of the advisor; mental health issues; strategies for support; differences between practices in the U.S. and Japan; and experiences of returning to Japan.

Graduate Education in Nursing Leadership Through Distance Technologies: The Canada-Norway Nursing Connection

The Canada-Norway Nursing Connection was a collaborative project designed to provide an international educational experience for graduate students in nursing via distance technology. Computer-conferencing and video-teleconferencing were used to address nursing leadership content through case studies. The same technologies were employed to develop the project. The processes of planning and implementing the international linkage are described. Agreement about goals, content, context for online discussion, delivery methods, academic expectations, language support, and logistics was essential. The media proved to be effective for students to gain understandings about nursing leadership, health care, and the forces influencing the nursing profession globally. Insights from the project provided a basis for the development of a model for interactive, international graduate education that will be of value to educators dedicated to helping students gain a global understanding of nursing and health care issues.