Background: Both the NP and the PA roles were relatively new in the Netherlands so there were still opportunities for influence. There were fewer perceived barriers to developing a program that integrated appropriate content into combined classes and experiences. The pharmacy course was the first to be integrated with clinical decision-making, research, and practice development now being organized.
After several years of Nurse Practitioner students from InHolland University traveling to South Carolina for a program seen as worthwhile and productive, faculty requested that PA students also be considered. In preparation for this program expansion, faculty explored collaborations with the PA program at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) since the University of South Carolina in Columbia was only in the beginning phases of opening a program. The Alpha Xi Chapter agreed to include PA students and plans were finalized.
The PA part of the program was arranged so that students would spend two days at MUSC, hosted by MUSC students and faculty. Students spend time on campus in the academic setting and visit local clinical sites. An unexpected outcome was that MUSC developed an exchange program for students and faculty to visit the InHolland PA program in the Netherlands. Future collaborations will include a day with USC’s PA faculty and students.
Over the years the InHolland experience has expanded to include more than clinical practice and cultural experiences. Faculty from USC’s School of Public Health and administrators from the Veterans Health Administration have presented students with information about healthcare systems in the US and provided comparisons with the European model. This assists student understanding of the role for NPs and PAs in the US system, the movement to full practice authority, and the integration into the reimbursement structure for these roles.
Findings: The shared experiences have enriched the learning for both NP and PA students. Students express an appreciation for each others roles, seeing them as complimentary and not competitive. At the end of each trip, faculty meet with the student participants to reflect upon the experience. They discuss the “good, the bad, and the ugly”, what to repeat, what to eliminate, and suggestions for what to add to the program. This information is shared with the Alpha Xi InHolland Steering Committee who also do their own de-brief. The program continues to evolve and the interprofessional collaboration only strengthens our global connections.