Your Name and Title: Mrs. Nicole Hall
School or Organization Name:
Co-Presenter Name(s): NA
Area of the World from Which You Will Present: United States, East Coast
Language in Which You Will Present: English
Target Audience(s): High School and College Students and Educators
Short Session Description (one line):
How to improve cultural competence, openness and nonjudgmental care by initiating study abroad programs in diploma nursing schools.
Full Session Description (as long as you would like):
In recent years the concept of non-judgmental care has been expanded upon. It is no longer adequate for a health care professional to merely provide care that is open and accepting but they need to actively learn about “their clients’ cultural values, beliefs, and practices” to be “in a better position to be co participants with their clients in providing culturally acceptable care” (Purnell, 2008, p. 2). Culturally competent care is now greatly stressed in the healthcare setting and Spector (2009) states that “it is now imperative according to the most recent policies of the Joint Commission of Hospital Accreditation and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, that all health care providers be “culturally competent” (p. xii). Spector explains that health care providers now are “treating a more diverse patient population” and while she concedes that becoming culturally competent is a complex process that requires time and patience, it can also be intriguing (p. 5). Purnell and Paulanka (2008) wrote an entire book dedicating hundreds of pages to detailing various cultures for the health care professional to study and reference. I can sympathize with Spector’s explanation that cultural competence is time consuming when considering how reading paragraph after paragraph about culture after culture would be quite a daunting task. The intriguing aspect referred to by Spector would be the ability to offer students the incredible opportunity to learn by experiencing, exploring, and spending time in a different culture. This is the learning environment that a study abroad program can provide diploma nursing students. Mahatma Ghandi said, “A nation’s culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people”, and so we will learn about this culture by immersing ourselves in their nation, daily lives, and in their hearts (2012, para.5)
This is not an innovative or even new idea because study abroad programs have been a part of the college experience for decades. Yet diploma based schools tend to be locally focused and nursing students may not be provided opportunities grow their students in this unique manner.
Study abroad programs have afforded students opportunities to live and learn in places they may never have visited otherwise. A survey completed by the International Education of Students found that “regardless of where students studied and for how long, that studying abroad is usually a defining moment in a young person's life and continues to impact the participant’s life for years after” (Dwyer & Peters, 2004, p. 56). Survey responders reported overwhelmingly positive benefits in areas such as intercultural development, personal development, and academic development. Similar results were found with another study where nursing students studied abroad in Ecuador. This study revealed the opportunity impacted their “professional role dimension, international perspective dimension, the personal development dimension, and the intellectual development dimension” (Smith & Curry, 2011, p. 14). Smith and Curry concluded the study reporting that international nursing experiences do influence nurses' future professional and personal development. Another study evaluated the impact of a study abroad program in China which found “students learned how to appreciate and respect a culture that is different from their own and enhanced their skills in providing culturally competent care to diverse populations in the United States” (Hu, Liping, & Sijian, 2010, p. 499). As one can see, the benefits of study abroad programs have been well documented and consistent. The prospect of making this type of learning available in rural educational settings for nurses is not only exciting but needed.
This presentation proposes program go beyond the traditional study abroad structure by coupling it with a service learning experience as well. Braungart and Braungart explain that “there is no single best way to approach learning, although all theories indicate the need to be sensitive to unique characteristics and motivations of each learner” (2008, p. 84). Kitchie (2008) states that a flexible educator who uses different teaching methodologies improves the likelihood that learning will occur. Students will be expected to participate in service learnings through a local community initiative, such as soup kitchen. Bradshaw and Lowenstein (2007) identify the two components of service learning to be experiential learning where a community service is provided by students and an opportunity for reflection after the session concludes. A volunteer opportunity allows the students to give back and interact with the residents of the community in a different realm. Bradshaw and Lowenstein explain that “service learning is suitable for any level of student in any program” and that “diversity and cultural understanding can be key elements” of the experience (p. 365). This demonstrates that service learning is an optimal experience for students to discover and study the culture in a different domain.
Today we are consistently faced with headlines of violence, hurt, and judgment. Studying abroad provides the opportunity to connect and learn from others who embody different beliefs and values. Exposure early in a nurse’s career, while they are still learning, can provide an opportunity for growth, understanding, and openness, that impacts them as they move into their profession's setting.
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