Undergraduate nursing students who participate in a week-long overseas cultural program show significant gains in cultural understanding, according to a new study by Indiana University School of Nursing faculty.
Published in the January/February issue of Nursing Education Perspectives, the study examined how an immersion-based educational experience in a Latin country influenced the cultural awareness and sensitivity of future nurses when caring for patients from Latine communities.
Latine individuals, defined in the study as people from Latin America, including Central America, are the second-largest population group in the United States, accounting for approximately 19% of the population. In Indiana, the Latine population nearly doubled between 2000 and 2010, and by 2020 made up about 8% of the state’s residents, according to the study. Members of these communities often face barriers such as language differences and limited familiarity with the U.S. healthcare system, which can contribute to health inequities.
“We were motivated to study overseas cultural programs because immersive experiences help nursing students develop cultural competence and humility beyond what traditional classroom learning alone can provide,” explained lead author Kristin Bassett, DNP, clinical assistant professor at the IU School of Nursing in Fort Wayne. “In the current political and cultural climate, these skills are essential to preparing students to care for Latine people in our local communities.”
Eleven non-Latine, white BSN nursing students participated in the study. They traveled to the Dominican Republic where they worked with non-English speaking patients from diverse cultural backgrounds.
Students spent each day working in a mobile healthcare clinic taking vital signs and health histories. Home visits were also arranged for patients unwilling to visit the clinic. With the help of translators and visual aids, the students also educated patients on topics such as the Heimlich maneuver, dengue fever prevention, safe medication use, and heart-healthy diets.
The week was also spent touring the country, eating traditional Dominican foods, and visiting a nursing classroom and private clinic—further deepening their understanding of the local culture and healthcare system.
According to the authors, these first-hand experiences help nursing students develop greater cultural awareness and sensitivity.
The participants completed pre- and post-intervention surveys and kept daily journals describing one incident that made an impact on them during the program. Researchers analyzed the journal entries, looking for common themes of the students’ experiences.
“Over the course of the program, students seemed to become more open to understanding different cultures and perspectives," said co-author Jamie Rausch, PhD, assistant professor at the IU School of Nursing in Fort Wayne. “What stood out most was how surprised they were by how much they learned about a culture that felt familiar in some ways, yet different in others.”
The authors concluded that incorporating service-learning opportunities—whether overseas or within local communities—can better prepare nursing students to provide culturally competent care in an increasingly interconnected world. They plan to extend the research study to other countries where the School of Nursing offers study abroad opportunities, including Spain, Mexico, and Kenya.