Toward Technological Advances in International Collaboration: Building Global Citizenship through Education

Wednesday, 9 July 2008
Freida Chavez, RN, BScN, MHSc, CHE , Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
Sebasatian Ousepperampil, PhD, MA, MPH , Chai, Catholic Health Association of India, Secunderabad-, India
Denise Gastaldo, PhD, BScN , Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

Learning Objective 1: gain insights from our experience in integrating global health into nursing education within a technologically advanced nursing environment

Learning Objective 2: use technology to further promote international collaborations and evidenced based practice

Toward Technological Advances in International Collaboration: Building Global Citizenship through Education

Globalization presents health care providers with opportunities and challenges of being competent caregivers for a global community. Through a “health for all” and postcolonial feminist framework, the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing (LSBFN), University of Toronto (U of T) has integrated global health into the curriculum. In this presentation, we describe the framework and the strategies, students' reflections on the experience, as well as some theorization on the challenges and possibilities in educating nurses as global citizens. We describe the course components and the global health placements offered to students, particularly in the Primary Health Care Enhancement Projects of the Catholic Health Association of India (CHAI).

A key objective in the LSFN/CHAI collaboration is to promote teaching-learning through technology to advance nursing science in diverse settings, education and research. Drawing from CHAI's experience with the Distance Learning Scheme of CMC Vellore, its Centre of Excellence, and the LBSFN state of the art Simulation Lab and Centre of Excellence and Innovation in Nursing Education, enhanced access to technology will facilitate sustainable collaboration and capacity building. Integrating technological advancements will allow nurses from India and Canada to create a model of training and education that will effectively meet training, educational and research objectives for both partner organizations and beyond.

In this presentation, we hope that colleagues will gain insights from our experience in integrating global health into nursing education within a technologically advanced nursing environment .We hope to stimulate dialogue on the use of technology to promote international collaborations and evidenced based practice.