Abstract:

It is widely recognized that nursing students require preparation to work in culturally diverse environments. In Canadian schools of nursing, consideration must be given in undergraduate program curricula to prepare students for the complexity of performing culturally competent nursing care as a registered nurse. To fully understand this question, an online survey was administered to 120 Thompson Rivers University alumni undergraduate nursing students from British Columbia, who had participated in an international nursing experience between 2005 and 2015.

The results of this study provides insight into the long-term benefits that an international nursing experience has on a graduate nurse’s clinical practice. From the 57 responses, 96% (n=55) of the nursing graduates felt more culturally competent as a result of the international experience. Comments from the nurses, included, “I know how to better address people from other cultures”, “I am more aware of and further understand the challenges people from other cultures may face when accessing healthcare”, and “I have learned to be more patient and accepting of the way that different cultures deal with and view health”.

Recognizing that international learning experiences as a student nurse can positively affect the nurse’s future practice as a culturally competent registered nurse, the continuation of international experiences should be supported by schools of nursing. This exploratory descriptive study has shown that undergraduate nursing students who have participated in an international practicum/field school view themselves as more culturally competent because of these experiences. The graduate nurses understanding and application of cultural safety into clinical practice was evident through the qualitative data collected from the online survey.

Keywords:

Undergraduate, nursing, students, cultural competence, international practicums.