Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization Collaborating Centers in Nursing and Midwifery in Haiti.

OBJECTIVE: To describe partnerships that Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) Collaborating Centers in Nursing and Midwifery have in Haiti, and their contribution to promoting universal health coverage in that country. METHODS: In 2017, semistructured interviews were conducted by telephone or email to update the status of activities and collaborations that were mentioned in a 2016 report (which covered efforts prior to early 2016) by the office of the Regional Advisor on Nursing and Allied Health Personnel at PAHO/WHO. Using that information, two of the authors categorized the Collaborating Center activities into focal areas. RESULTS: Six of the nine Collaborating Centers mentioned in the 2016 PAHO/WHO report participated in the 2017 semistructured interviews. The five focal areas identified were: 1) direct care/primary health care, 2) research, 3) workforce development, 4) curriculum development, and 5) shared educational activities. CONCLUSIONS: Current PAHO/WHO Nursing and Midwifery Collaborating Center partnerships in Haiti support universal health access and coverage through direct provision of care with ongoing Haiti-based clinics; research in topics relevant to Haitian partners; assistance with continuing education for nurses; and shared educational activities. These efforts are enhanced through partnerships with Haitian organizations and the Ministry of Public Health and Population. Coordination among PAHO/WHO Collaborating Centers could augment individual schools' efforts to assist health providers and institutions in Haiti to improve health outcomes and support universal health coverage.

Using International Videoconferencing to Extend the Global Reach of Community Health Nursing Education.

Travel abroad provides college students with a unique learning experience. When plans to take undergraduate community health nursing students from the United States to Haiti were cancelled due to health and safety concerns, faculty piloted international videoconferencing with a nursing program in Haiti as an alternative. During this semester-long course, students in both countries assessed a local community using the Community as Partner framework and compared findings during videoconferences with their international peers. Despite communication challenges such as language barriers and limited internet access in Haiti, evaluative data suggests that all students valued learning with their nursing student peers in another country. For future international videoconferencing endeavors, especially with under-resourced communities, we provide recommendations in the following categories: 1) Building relationships with a partner school, 2) Technology, 3) Pedagogy, and 4) Facilitating interactions between students.

Community Health Nursing through a Global Lens.

Community Health Nursing (N456) is a required senior clinical course in the undergraduate nursing curriculum at the University of Michigan in which students learn to assess and address the health of populations and communities. In 2012, we began our efforts to internationalize the curriculum using a globally engaged nursing education framework. Our goal is for all students to have an intercultural learning experience understanding that all students are unable to travel internationally. Therefore, this intercultural learning was implemented through a range of experiences including actual immersion, virtual activities (videoconferencing) and interventions with local vulnerable populations. Grants were obtained to provide immersion experiences in Quito, Ecuador and New Delhi, India. Several technologies were initiated with partner nursing schools in Leogane, Haiti and New Delhi, India. Weekly videoconferencing utilizing BlueJeans software and exchange of knowledge through the Knowledge Gateway facilitated intercultural exchange of knowledge and culture. Local clinical groups work with a variety of vulnerable populations. A private blog was developed for all sections to share community assessment data from local and international communities. Qualitative evaluation data was collected for local and international students to begin to assess cultural competence and student learning. Analysis of data documented increased awareness of culture and identified the many positive benefits of interaction with a global partner.