The purpose of this poster is to:
- Present the process for establishing a global partnership and issues in sustainability
- Discuss outcomes of a unique global clinical experience in rural Thailand
~use of culturally diverse health practices
~international collaboration
~implications for nursing
~targeting the needs of vulnerable/resource-poor
- Review strategies for global collaboration and global education
Methods: The opportunity to learn primary health care methods from a diverse area of the world, initiated the development of a global clinical immersion experience between the University of Michigan School of Nursing (UMSN), Ann Arbor, United States and Suranaree University of Technology (SUT) in Nakhon Ratchsima, Thailand. The clinical partnership of BSN students from SUT and primary care advanced practice nurse practitioner (APRN) students from UMSN, started in 2013 and has continued for five consecutive years.
There are multiple layers of decisions to be made for this type of collaboration, from basic to complex. Initial discussions between faculty regarding the clinical collaboration, for example, were about type of clinical experience, timing of the experience in the academic schedule in both Thai and US partners, potential communities for the experience, and development of student outcomes. As some baseline ideas were solidified the idea was brought forward to administration, where financial and sustainability issues were discussed and the decision was made to move forward.
Results:
The first year of the immersion, was a pilot group of UMSN students (5 total) and helped answer many logistical questions that helped with sustainability of the program. Currently, interest in the immersion has increased, so that it is a competitive application process for UMSN students to participate. In 2017, there were 20 UMSN students working with four clinical groups from SUT, across three communities in rural Thailand.
Conclusion: Across the years, students and faculty have spoken about the similarities and differences in healthcare and nursing’s role in both countries. It has also been noted that despite the cultural differences there is much the same in applying the nursing role in resource limited settings. Thus, the potential impact of a global clinical immersion is multifaceted and offers both faculty and students many positive outcomes.