There are multiple pathways for individuals to enter the field of nursing in Albania. Pathways range from apprentice type relationships with physicians to 3-1/2 year high schools of nursing developed with the help and support of European countries. These 3-1/2 year schools were located in the capital city of Tirana and selected cities to the south. The northern part of Albania, Shkodra, has been overlooked in these efforts. Nursing educators traveled to Albania to meet with officials after the director of Shkodra Hospital approached the West Michigan partnership for help in establishing a school of nursing. Obstacles to establishing a school of nursing in Shkodra included, lack of physical facilities, lack of Albanian nursing educators, lack of textbooks written in Albanian and lack of a hospital environment to facilitate the education of nursing students. With the facilitation of the US partnership, a collaborative effort developed among Shkodra University, Shkodra Hospital, Tirana High School of Nursing and the new Shkodra School of Nursing to find physical space for the school, develop the curricula and to admit the first students in 2001. The outcomes of this collaboration include workshop programs by the Western Michigan partnership to increase the skills of Shkodra Hospital nurses; preceptor workshops for selected Shkodra Hospital nurses, and consultation with Tirana High School of Nursing regarding standardization of curricula for Albanian nursing students. While the benefits to the Albanian nursing education system are significant, these experiences have impacted the US nursing educators. They have developed a new appreciation of culture and diversity that is reflected in their faculty roles.
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