Becoming Gold‐Plated: Chinese Nurses Studying Abroad

Abstract

The purpose of this interpretive study is to describe the experience of Chinese nurses studying abroad. Twenty-three nurses living in Taiwan, who had studied in the United States for university degrees, were interviewed in 1990. A central process was "Becoming gold-plated." The first major theme was "Enormous pressure and sacrifice," with the subthemes of "Self-doubt," "Language difficulties," "Isolation and loneliness," and "Separation and guilt." The second major theme was "Transformed self," with subthemes of "High aspiration" and "New perspective on life." In spite of the hardships of study abroad, Chinese nurses felt pride in their accomplishment and self-respect for the knowledge and sophistication they gained.

ESL undergraduate nursing students in Australia: Some experiences

“…All of the participants experienced difficulty in at least one of the areas of listening, speaking, reading or writing. These findings support those of Wang and Lethbridge (1995), who argued that although students must achieve a certain level of language proficiency before entering the University, this does not necessarily indicate the range of adequate language skills required to study nursing courses.…”

“…All participants are women and their age at interview ranged from 23 to 42 years. This is consistent with Wang and Lethbridge's (1995) comment that international nursing students are more likely to be female, mothers, older than other students and have an established career. Each participant has been given a pseudonym by which they will be referred to throughout this paper.…”

“…Many international nursing students gain pride and a sense of achievement from, or despite, their educational and social struggles (Wang & Lethbridge, 1995). Both Dinh and Sara are strongly committed to nursing.…”

Language Plus for International Graduate Students in Nursing

“…The nature of nursing practice and the professional status of students in the home country contribute to problems of student loneliness (Kayser-Jones & Abu-Saad, 1982;Wang & Lethbridge, 1995). This sense of foreignness, isolation, or social deficiency can magnify language deficiency.…”

Transcultural Nursing Implications of Taiwanese Temporary Residents in the United States

“…They also have the opportunity to study abroad in countries such as the United States for higher education. For example, nurses come to the United States to study due to the reputation for leadership in nursing education and research (Wang & Lethbridge, 1995).…”