U.S Nursing Students visit University to Share Experiences
In January 2017, the School of Nursing hosted a visit for 16 nursing students and 2 lecturers from Mount Mercy University, Iowa.
This exciting opportunity supported the visiting students to learn more about nursing, healthcare and healthcare education in the United Kingdom. It also provided an opportunity for Canterbury Christ Church University School of Nursing students and staff to learn about nursing, healthcare and healthcare education in the United States of America.
The visiting students engaged in a range of learning activities, including visits to The Mirimar Care Home and The Pilgrims Hospice. A session facilitated by students and staff from the School of Nursing following the visits revealed that although there are differences in how healthcare is funded and delivered between the two countries, there are also a number of similarities. These included a person centred approach to care delivery and the challenges related to the funding of care for older people who are no longer able to live independently.
The US students participated in joint teaching sessions with their UK counterparts. Feedback from these identified some clear differences related to how nurse education was delivered in both countries. In the U.S, a more traditional didactic teacher led approach prevailed with a significant majority of sessions being delivered as lectures. The Mount Mercy students and staff commented on how creative and interactive the CCCU seminar sessions they attended were.
Some of the US students attended a session to introduce them to the concept of Clinical Supervision; whilst others join Child Pathway students to learn about diabetes. The visiting students engaged very positively in these sessions and found the experience to be valuable in supporting their professional development. The final session for the visiting students was a simulated activity co-facilitated by Learning Disabled co teachers. The staff and students found this to be a highly valuable and enjoyable way to further develop their skills in relation to meeting the needs of people who are learning disabled in an acute hospital setting
Some of the Mount Mercy student visited the Medway campus and were given a tour of the Simulation Suites and undertook a treasure hunt with some students. The students benefitted from spending time together socialising, which provided a safe environment for them to explore differences in nursing, healthcare, nurse education as well as what life is like in each country.
The UK students found meeting the US students to be a useful learning opportunity. One commented that:
"What I found very interesting was when I was talking to the lecturer and she was explaining about the Nursing course and how much it differs from here.”
another commented that the experience:
"...taught me I can be open to people of different countries and we can collaborate with people from different countries."
Finally another student said:
"I had a chance to make friends and contacts with people within the profession from another part of the world and understand how they implement healthcare and any issues they feel that they are faced with, enabling us both to listen to alternative views and pressures we may face.”
Following the success of the exchange, plans are being made for a group of students from across the Faculty of Health and Wellbeing to visit Mount Mercy in September 2017.