Advanced nursing education for international students may include
a variety of educational models. For students who have experienced
technical training in their own countries, advanced education may
mean earning the baccalaureate or initial university degree in nursing.
A number of program options exist, including traditional baccalaureate
programs, accelerated programs for students with a baccalaureate
degree in another discipline, and RN-BSN and RN-MSN completion programs.
Master’s education programs in nursing generally have a clinical
focus such as emergency nursing, maternal-child health, or midwifery.
Doctoral education in nursing in the United States involves completion
of a structured curriculum and a dissertation study, unlike the
tutorial model found in European universities. At the doctoral level,
the program of studies includes content related to nursing science,
research, educational strategies and outcomes evaluation.
Widener University is located in Chester, Pennsylvania, adjacent
to Philadelphia, an internationally recognized mecca of health care.
The School of Nursing offers baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral
programs in nursing and nurses from Korea, Jordan, Bahrain and Botswana
have enrolled in the programs on the various levels in the past
few years.
Hyrea Yoo earned a doctorate in nursing science in 1996 and has
returned to Korea to provide leadership in her faculty role. This
student’s research investigated the attitudes of Korean nursing
students towards caring for patients with HIV. Arwa Oweif, a faculty
member at Jordan University of Science and Technology in Irbid,
Jordan, is currently completing her second summer session of the
summer’s only doctoral option. Arwa too will use her education
to advance health care through nursing education with research interests
in the area of women’s health issues.
Fatima Abdul Wahed Ahmed, a citizen of Bahrain, is currently a
master’s student in the Emergency/Critical Care track having
earned an International Diploma in Emergency Preparedness and Crisis
Management from the World Health Organization. Fatima has worked
in critical care management and has been a Lecturer at the College
of Health Sciences in Bahrain and is one of seven members of the
International Council of Nurses President’s Task Force on the
Future. At Widener, in addition to courses in emergency and critical
care nursing, Fatima has had the opportunity to observe first hand
the emergency care systems at Crozer Chester Medical Center and
the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center.
Recently, three nurses from Botswana earned their baccalaureate
degrees in nursing. Chosen and sponsored by the Minister of Health
of Botswana for study in the United States, Gladys Mogapi, Beauty
Peloewetse and Mpho Ofithile are returning to Botswana with the
dual goals of upgrading nursing education from technical to university
based and of developing programs to reduce the morbidity and mortality
of women in their childbearing years. Courses such as Health Assessment,
Pathophysiology/Pharmacology, Nutrition, Research in Nursing, and
Community and Home Health Nursing have provided the increased knowledge
and skills which they will need to effect changes in the health
outcomes of women in Botswana.
It is hard for American students (and faculty too) to appreciate
the level of health care and the devastating morbidity and mortality
experienced by developing nations. Through first hand descriptions
of real life experiences, American students become more aware of
global health concerns as well as the implications of cultural values
on the development of the nursing profession. Although providing
educational opportunities for international students is incredibly
rewarding for the host institution and American students, such an
undertaking is not without drawbacks. For the international students,
multiple adaptations to climate, educational and social customs
and language are required. In addition, separation from family members,
including spouses and young children, may be for extended periods
of time. Educational customs and language differences are also major
sources of stress. Universities involved in international education
therefore require strong commitment and support services for both
academic and social dimensions.
Through international educational programs in nursing, the goal
of quality health care can move from dream to reality, as students
are prepared to become leaders in their own countries.
Author: Jane M. Brennan, DNSc., RNC, Assistant Dean of
Undergraduate Studies, Widener University School of Nursing
This article first appeared in TransWorld Education
