Analyzing educational needs to develop an undergraduate global health nursing program

Abstract

Objective: The educational needs of nursing undergraduate students from South Korea, Vietnam, and the United States were assessed to develop an educational program for Global Nursing to improve undergraduate nursing education internationally.

Methods: Borich’s needs assessment tool was used to measure and validate present and required competency levels of participants’ perceptions of educational needs. Data were collected from December 2014 to March 2015.

Results: Educational needs significantly differed by overseas study experience (higher for those with such experience) but not by gender. The three countries significantly differed in terms of educational needs (South Korea > the United States > Vietnam) on global health nursing. Educational needs by country showed that variables pertaining to healthcare competencies in developing countries were highest in the US, followed by Vietnam, and South Korea. The variables with the highest scores were globalization of health in the US, health implications of migration in Vietnam, and globalization of health in South Korea. Global nursing education needs slightly differed between the three countries. This could be due to differences in educational environments.

Conclusions: An international strategy for standardizing undergraduate global nursing curriculum is needed. Additionally, a mechanism to compare and contrast curriculums using global standards recognized by accrediting bodies and organizations, such as the International Council of Nurses, is required. Furthermore, core curriculum should direct nursing schools offering international programs to consider cultural differences and define differences in health care systems, societal norms, and environmental complexities that students will encounter abroad. Future studies should examine similarities and differences that these students might encounter when entering a host country.