Study abroad as a tool for promoting cultural safety in nursing education. J Transcult Nurs 2012 Jan;23(1):82-9
Date
01/10/2012Pubmed ID
22228780DOI
10.1177/1043659611423831Scopus ID
2-s2.0-84855379641 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 36 CitationsAbstract
Nurse educators are calling for the transformation of nursing education toward curricula that promote clinical reasoning through reflective practice and understanding of patient experiences in an effort to motivate students to become change agents. Study abroad programs can play an important role in this transformation through educating nurses in the delivery of culturally safe health care in a diverse world. Exposing nursing students to study abroad experiences that are guided by critical approaches such as a postcolonial feminist framework provides nursing students with opportunities to be immersed in the life and culture of people who have a completely different positioning and location while reflecting on the "us" versus "them" phenomenon that is pervasive in modern Western society and generates negative cultural comparisons. Attention to the design and implementation of such programs is important if nursing schools in the Western world are to uphold ethical standards, promote equality in relationships with host communities and avoid inadvertent exploitation and marginalization of vulnerable peoples. We present the development and implementation of a community health study abroad program for American nursing students in Malawi, Africa using a postcolonial feminist framework.
Author List
Mkandawire-Valhmu L, Doering JAuthor
Jennifer Doering PhD Associate Professor in the Nursing department at University of Wisconsin - MilwaukeeMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
Community Health ServicesCultural Competency
Cultural Diversity
Curriculum
Education, Nursing
Faculty, Nursing
Feminism
Humans
Internationality
Malawi
Organizational Innovation
Safety
Schools, Nursing
Students, Nursing
Travel
Writing
