Paper
Sunday, November 4, 2007
298
Nursing School: The International Student's Dream or Nightmare?
Shellye A. Vardaman, RN, MSN, BC and Imani C. Goodwin, MSN, FNP-BC. School of Nursing, Troy University, Troy, AL, USA
| Learning Objective #1: Develop a greater understanding of the perceptions of the international nursing student which will add to the current knowledge with respect to nursing education research. |
| Learning Objective #2: Identify common themes among international students that contributed to success or failure in nursing courses. Thus, providing suggestions for future international nursing students.
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International students are entering American institutions of higher education at a rapid pace. In 2004-2005, more than 565,000 international students were enrolled in US institutions of higher education, according to the Institute of International Education. Schools of nursing are experiencing record enrollments with dwindling faculty numbers. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, enrollment in generic BSN programs increased 13% in the 2004-2005 academic year. With that being said, over 32,000 students were denied entry into such programs because of an inadequate supply of nursing faculty. Enrollment by international students in health professions increased by 2% in the same time frame. Research has been conducted to gather information about international students perceived needs for success in the American higher education frontier. Furthermore, research exists that outlines apparent qualities and support services that lend themselves to increasing success of the international student. However, very little research has been identified to study these qualities and services in nursing students. Nursing is found to be a stressful profession and rigorous course of studies for students. Research is needed in the area of international nursing student needs to identify facilitators and barriers to success in American nursing programs. A focus group of international students enrolled in nursing courses at a southern state university was utilized to determined common themes among the students that impacted their success and/or failure in the nursing program. The focus group also identified needs that the students felt were addressed or not addressed by faculty and staff. The focus group provided suggestions for other international students seeking a degree in nursing.