Evaluation of an international program for nurse practitioner students

Abstract

Background: There are few opportunities for student nurse practitioners to develop relationships and exchange ideas with international counterparts. In addition, discovering differences in instructional pedagogy between programs are beneficial for every student.Purpose: To facilitate an international understanding of healthcare services and compare curricula of advanced practice programs through an international experience for year one nurse practitioner students from the United Kingdom to the United States of America.Methodological orientation: The study utilized a qualitative analysis of responses from specified questions provided to both cohorts of students prior to and after the experience.Sample: A virtual global exchange between 23 advanced practice students and their professors in the spring of 2018 culminated in a trip by the UK students and faculty to the U.S.A. in April of that year.Conclusions: UK and US NP students positively evaluated the international encounter and pointed out specific educational activities that were most helpful to their training.Implications for practice: International experiences offer nurse practitioner students the opportunity to experience healthcare delivery in an alternative cultural milieu