As the United States population diversifies and international boundaries disappear, the need to educate culturally competent nurses has become a national priority. A call to action has been made by national, federal and key nursing stakeholders for colleges of nursing to prepare healthcare practitioners who demonstrate a greater awareness of how patient values, culture, and socioeconomic factors influence health (AACN, 2012, ANA, 2015, CAN, 2009, NLN, 2009).
A curriculum that provides opportunities for nurses to develop the skills needed to practice in a global healthcare environment is essential. The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) requires that all graduate nursing degree programs incorporate the Essentials of Master’s Education in Nursing (AACN, 2011) as part of their accreditation process (CCNE, 2018). Specifically, AACN Standards Vll and Vlll address Interprofessional Collaboration for Improving Patient and Population Health Outcomes and Clinical Prevention and Population Health for Improving Health (AACN, 2011).
Methods:
One method for teaching cultural awareness is the integration of a Collaborative International Online Learning (COIL) project into the nursing curriculum. Twenty-one graduate nursing students from an online master’s degree program at a state university and thirty-two students in an Occupational Health Nursing bachelor`s degree program in South Africa collaborated in an online course titled Population Health, Human Diversity, and Social issues. Students from both countries engaged in a three-week module on global health using the framework of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (United Nations, 2015) initiative. Five groups of approximately 10 students were created to better manage the discussion threads. An icebreaker and introductory discussion were used to introduce members to each other. Students were asked to post a photograph of themselves, describe their current position in nursing, and describe the community in which they work and live as a way of building rapport.
A second discussion assignment was to choose one of the UN Sustainable Goals and discuss ways in which the professional nurse can contribute to achieving the target. Students were encouraged to use experiences from their personal and professional background and supporting literature to give substance to the discussion.
At the conclusion of the module, students were asked to submit a reflective journal summarizing the learning they found most meaningful during the collaborative exercise. They were also asked to write a brief statement about how their nursing practice has been impacted by this learning experience.
Results:
It was clear from reviewing the reflective journals, that students overwhelmingly felt the COIL partnership was meaningful. Additionally, the project was successful in meeting CCNE accreditation standards. The project met the State University goals for Globally Networked Learning (GNL) and provided opportunities for developing cultural competence.
Conclusion:
Integration of a COIL collaboration into a Population Health course is an innovative teaching method for increasing cultural competence and preparing nurses to be leaders in improving global health. Additionally, COIL provides practical and fiscally responsible ways for students who cannot travel abroad the opportunity to become global learners, contributing to their ability to provide culturally competent patient care.