Keeping the Vision: Sustaining Social Consciousness with Nursing Students following International Learning Experiences

Abstract

In an era of globalization, increasing numbers of nursing programs are initiating international learning experiences, yet empirical data is lacking regarding long term benefits and effects of international placements. This paper presents findings from a participatory action study designed in response to this gap. Objectives were to describe student learning in international experiences, and to facilitate strategies that supported integration of this learning into personal and professional domains upon return to Canada. Seventeen students and three faculty participated over twelve months following their international experiences. Initial responses to the international experience included reports of new ways of viewing the world - often characterized by heightened social consciousness - yet in the immediate and longer-term many struggled with how to translate and sustain this learning in home settings. Considerable effort and intentionality was required to sustain social consciousness over time. Based on these findings, a preliminary framework for international experiences is presented.

Motivation and International Clinical Placements: Shifting Nursing Students to a Global Citizenship Perspective

“…Many nursing programs in North America offer an international clinical placement 1 as part of the undergraduate nursing program (Bosworth et al, 2006;Hanson, 2010;Reimer Kirkham, Van Hofwegen, & Pankratz, 2009;SmithMiller, Leak, Harlan, Dieckmann, & Sherwood, 2010). The popularity of these types of experiences has grown substantially within the last decade, often driven by the needs or desires of the student population (Levi, 2009;Wehbi, 2009;Yudkin, Bayley, Elnour, Willott, & Miranda, 2003).…”

The Use of Talking Circles to Describe a Native American Transcultural Caring Immersion Experience

“…Canadian nursing students who participated in an immersion experience in a Guatemalan community was also studied using a descriptive approach (Reimer-Kirkham, Van Hofwegen, & Pankratz, 2009). The nursing students lived among Guatemalan residents and collaborated with the Guatemalan community health clinic nurse to conduct health screenings and health fairs.…”

Host Agency Perspectives on Facilitating Community-Based Clinical Experiences for Nursing Students

“…A questionnaire with open-ended questions was designed based on themes derived from the literature review and earlier studies (a qualitative study and a national survey) eliciting information from students and educators regarding innovative clinical placements (Hoe Harwood et al, 2009;Reimer-Kirkham et al, 2005;Reimer-Kirkham et al, 2009). Questions included: "How do you decide whether to take student placements?…”

“…The survey reported that Canadian nurse educators rely upon student placements such as correctional facilities, Aboriginal communities, international placements, rural and parish settings; reports that are corroborated in other regions (Sloan, Keely, & Groves, 2008;Stewart, 2007). Student learning in these community-based settings has been described as transformative, with students gaining enhanced critical thinking competencies (Pijl-Zieber & Kalischuk, 2011;ReimerKirkham et al, 2005;Reimer-Kirkham, Van Hofwegen, & Pankratz, 2009). Despite this widespread reliance on alternative placements and the reports of transformative learning, few studies have reported the host agency perspective.…”