Embracing diversity: measuring the impact of an international immersion learning experience on nursing students' cultural beliefs and values.

OBJECTIVES: An international Nursing Leadership Collaborative covened in Japan to hold a patient safety and quality workshop for nursing students from six countries. The purpose was to measure students' self reported beliefs reflecting sensitivity and openness to cultural diversity before and after the international experience. METHODS: A pre-post-test design was used and the Beliefs, Events, and Values Inventory was administered to international undergraduate and graduate nursing students. RESULTS: The group aggregate data analysis indicate that prior to the start of the workshop, the group presented itself as quite introspective and after the workshop the group reported being more sophisticated in making causal explanations about why the world works in the way it does. CONCLUSIONS: Nursing students experienced an expanded awareness of their beliefs and values that reflect a greater degree of intercultural sensitivity for acceptance of inclusivity and diversity after the experience.

Student outcomes of an international learning collaborative to develop patient safety and quality competencies in nursing.

BACKGROUND: Patient harm is a global crisis fueling negative outcomes for patients around the world. Working together in an international learning collaborative fostered learning with, from and about each other to develop evidence-based strategies for developing quality and safety competencies in nursing. AIMS: To report student outcomes from an international learning collaborative focused on patient safety using the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses competency framework. METHODS: A global consortium of nursing faculty created an international learning collaborative and designed educational strategies for an online pre-workshop and a 10-day in-person experience for 21 undergraduate and graduate nursing students from six countries. A retrospective pre-test post-test survey measured participants' confidence levels of patient safety competence using the health professional education in patient safety survey and content analysis of daily reflective writings. RESULTS: Statistical analysis revealed student confidence levels improved across all eight areas of safe practice comparing-pre and post-education (significance, alpha of P < 0.05). Two overarching themes, reactions to shared learning experiences and shared areas of learning and development, reflected Quality and Safety Education for Nurses competencies and a new cultural understanding. CONCLUSIONS: The international learning collaborative demonstrated that cross-border learning opportunities can foster global development of quality and safety outcome goals.

Attitudes and Readiness of Students of Healthcare Professions towards Interprofessional Learning.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the attitudes and readiness of students of healthcare professions towards interprofessional learning. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional study design was used. Two different scales were used to measure the readiness for and perception of interprofessional learning; these were the 'Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale' and the 'Interdisciplinary Education Perception Scale'. A convenience sampling method was employed. The sample was drawn from undergraduate students enrolled in years 1 to 5 of medical, dental, pharmacy and health sciences programme. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data. RESULTS: The overall response rate was 83%. The students mentioned that shared learning with other healthcare professional students will increase their ability to understand clinical problems. The students also mentioned that such shared learning will help them to communicate better with patients and other professionals. The students preferred to work with individuals from their own profession. Participants from medical, dental, pharmacy, and health sciences had a difference in opinion about 'negative professional identity', a domain of the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale. Based on the different year of study of the students, 'team work and collaboration', 'negative professional identity' and 'roles and responsibility' were the Interdisciplinary Education Perception Scale domains where students had a difference in opinion. CONCLUSIONS: Attitudes and readiness towards interprofessional learning showed significant differences among students of various healthcare professions; these differences also depended on the students' year of study. Interprofessional learning should be incorporated in the curriculum of all healthcare professional programs, which may foster students to become competent healthcare providers and understand each profession's role.