Reflections on Study Abroad: Insights From Registered Nurses

Abstract

Globalization has resulted in the increased internationalization of higher education with most universities hosting international students and sending domestic students on international learning experiences. As part of this trend, many undergraduate nursing programs offer study abroad clinical placements to promote cultural sensitivity and global citizenship. While there is an abundance of research evaluating student perceptions of specific international study abroad experiences soon upon their return, there is little research exploring longer-term perspectives of participants across a range of diverse international placement sites. To provide guidance for their study abroad program, a nursing school in Western Canada gathered the perspectives of participants from the previous one to eight years. These currently practising registered nurses had clinical placements in one of six countries across four continents between 2008 and 2015 as part of their undergraduate nursing education. In total, 35 participants completed an online survey with 13 agreeing to an individual, semi-structured follow-up interview to elicit more detailed responses. The study was guided by Thorne’s interpretive description qualitative approach. The key beneficial features of their experience identified by the participants included cross-cultural learning, relationship building, and exposure to diverse health contexts. Narratives also captured challenges including cultural adjustment, financial burden, meeting placement and academic expectations, and issues of social injustice/inequality. The participants provided advice for the planning and delivery of international nursing clinical placements and recommended close curricular alignment between the course and placement site, faculty presence, and thorough student pre-departure preparation as essential components of study abroad nursing programs. The narratives highlighted the importance of faculty guidance to help participants move toward critical global citizenship by assessing their own beliefs and assumptions while considering the historical, socio-cultural, economic, and political factors as well as other perspectives evident in the host placement context. Such transformational learning should be reinforced by the integration of social responsibility and global citizenship within undergraduate nursing curricula to ensure all nursing graduates are exposed to these critical worldviews. The findings provide guidance for the delivery of future international placements at this school of nursing and may help inform the design and implementation of similar programs. These registered nurses reinforced the value of study abroad as rich experiential learning opportunities that facilitate long-term cultural competence and a critical global nursing perspective.