Abroad Study Programs for Nursing Education

Abroad Nursing Educational Programs

Abroad Study Programs In Nursing,Impact of abroad Education on Nursing Education,Benefits of Abroad Nursing Education,Effect on Nursing Educational Programs.

Abroad Study Programs In Nursing

    Study abroad programs are educational activities completed in a country outside that of a student's home institution: Such programs are focused on educational experiences that provide course credit for general education or credit toward a major. Study abroad programs include but are not limited to classroom courses and experiential activities (McKinnon & McNelis, 2013)

Impact of abroad Education on Nursing Education

    Study abroad programs in nursing are educational in focus and contribute towards the completion of nursing or non-nursing course credit in a host country. Most study abroad programs in US. Schools of Nursing are offered as general education or special sessions, not as credit toward a major (McKinnon & McNelis, 2013). Participants in study abroad programs may complete courses individually or as a group. Students may participate in study abroad programs independently or accompanied by faculty from the home institution, as in faculty led programs. 

    Study abroad programs vary in duration according to the individual courses, objectives, and activities to be completed.Increased demand for study abroad programs in nursing education stems from a pressing need to develop students as global citizens prepared to navigate the challenges and opportunities of a diverse patient population and an increasingly interconnected world. In addition to course and core degree objectives, study abroad programs are conducted with an emphasis on the development of global citizenship, civic engagement, and cultural sensitivity (Frenk et al., 2010; Kelley, Connor, Kun, & Salmon, 2008 ; Reising et al., 2008). 

    Participation in study abroad programs as students or faculty promotes professional growth, develops expertise in global health, and enhances nurses' role as locally responsive and globally connected members of a global health system (Frenk et al. 2010).

Benefits of Abroad Nursing Education

    Though primarily cognitive and educational in focus, participation in study abroad programs also promotes growth in the intra-personal and interpersonal domains of human development (Braskamp Braskamp. & Merrill, 2009). When challenged to adapt to unfamiliar surroundings, languages, transport systems, and cultures, students develop a sense of self-efficacy, a concept defined by Bandura (1997) as “an individual's confidence in his/her ability to negotiate the challenges inherent in the larger social world” (Gardner, Steglitz, & Gross, 2009, p. 20). 

    In addition to self efficacy, students attain a sense of awareness and respect for the culture and global perspectives (Braskamp et al., 2009).By interacting with others in a host country, students may develop interpersonally into culturally sensitive individuals who are better able to view the world as one in which we function as members of an interdependent global society (Bosworth et al. 2006; Beaskamp et al., 2009). This perspective fosters a longer term outcome of a “broader view of health care, comparisons with other health care systems, and advocacy” (Bosworth et al. 2006, p. 37) in addition to the development of professional and civic responsibility ( Reising et al, 2008).

    The interpersonal and intrapersonal growth resulting from study abroad program participation contributes to the development of global citizens who are better able to assess and approach the challenges they will meet as nurses working with diverse populations (Frenk et al, 2010, Reising et al . 2006). The achievement of such growth is dependent upon students' ability to reflect on their experiences abroad. Reflection on their experiences encourages students' awareness and ability to better articulate the outcomes of their experiences (Gardner et al. 2009; Lewin, 2009)

Effect on Nursing Educational Programs

    Despite growing interest in study abroad programs in nursing education, continued development of such programs is restricted by a lack of clarity regarding the issue of credit toward a major in schools of nursing Such ambiguity has led schools of nursing to establish study abroad programs as extra courses available to students who are able to pay additional fees (McKinnon & McNelis, 2013). Examination and definition of regulations surrounding credit toward a major for study abroad programs are needed to encour age growth in student participation and program development. 

    Further development in study abroad programs should also address the possibility of reciprocity for coursework completed abroad to students home institution. Examination into reciprocity of course credit in addition to credit toward a major in nursing education may encouraged continued growth in study abroad programs by preventing delay in coursework or graduation as a result of participation. As study abroad programs continue to develop, it is also ethi cally imperative to promote further studies examining the effects of programs on host communities.