PERCEPTIONS OF “Nursing” and “Nursing Care” in the United States by Dutch Nursing Students

Abstract THE INTERNATIONALIZATION OF NURSING IS HERE. Ease of travel, advances in communication technology, and international health care journals and conferences have resulted in an increase in cross-border contacts with our nursing colleagues. In its most recent “Essentials” document, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (I) included the understanding of global health care as a component of “core knowledge” for nursing practice into the 21st century. Selected European schools of higher education are permitting health professional students to take up to 25 percent of their required courses outside their home country (2). To meet the challenge of internationalizing the nursing profession, professional education programs have developed various learning strategies, including international courses and student and faculty exchange programs. Few studies have examined the outcomes of these visits. What are foreign nurses and nursing students observing about nursing and nursing care in the United Stat...