Meaux Julie B, Saviers Brittany, Traywick Lavona
School of Nursing, University of Central Arkansas, Conway, AR 72035, United States of America.
Department of Occupational Therapy, University of Central Arkansas, Conway, AR 72035, United States of America.
Nurse Educ Today. 2021 Aug;103:104928. doi: 10.1016/j.nedt.2021.104928. Epub 2021 Apr 24.
Healthcare professionals require personal and professional skills that include the ability to provide care to diverse populations and to collaborate across disciplines to deliver culturally sensitive quality care. International learning experiences can provide opportunities for students in health professions to work and learn collaboratively across disciplines.
The purpose of this research was to measure the effect of a short-term Costa Rican study abroad experience on interprofessional and cultural competencies of occupational therapy (OT) and nursing students.
This mixed methods study was approved by the university Institutional Review Board and consisted of four training sessions and a 10-day study abroad experience. Ten OT doctoral students and three undergraduate nursing students participated in the research. While abroad, students engaged in fieldwork activities, tours, observations, and dialogue with local residents, healthcare professionals, and researchers. Students completed a demographic questionnaire and pre- and post-surveys - the Cultural Competency Questionnaire (CCQ) and the Entry Level Interprofessional Questionnaire (ELIQ) - and reflection journals.
Results of the CCQ subscales showed statistically significant improvement in knowledge (p < .001) and skills (p < .001). The ELIQ Likert scale results suggest statistically significant improvement in Communication and Teamwork (p < .05). The qualitative data further support the value of study abroad experiences for level one fieldwork in an occupational therapy clinical doctorate program for developing cultural competencies in OT and nursing students.
Results confirm that a short-term study abroad experience can increase acquisition of cultural competencies. Improved interprofessional communication and teamwork was also supported by student comments.
医疗保健专业人员需要具备个人和专业技能，包括为不同人群提供护理以及跨学科协作以提供具有文化敏感性的优质护理的能力。国际学习经历可以为健康专业的学生提供跨学科合作工作和学习的机会。
本研究的目的是衡量在哥斯达黎加的短期留学经历对职业治疗（OT）和护理专业学生的跨专业和文化能力的影响。
这项混合方法研究得到了大学机构审查委员会的批准，包括四次培训课程和为期10天的留学经历。10名OT博士生和3名本科护理学生参与了该研究。在国外期间，学生们参与了实地考察活动、参观、观察，并与当地居民、医疗保健专业人员和研究人员进行了对话。学生们完成了一份人口统计问卷以及课前和课后调查——文化能力问卷（CCQ）和入门级跨专业问卷（ELIQ）——以及反思日志。
CCQ子量表的结果显示，在知识（p <.001）和技能（p <.001）方面有统计学上的显著改善。ELIQ李克特量表结果表明，在沟通和团队合作方面有统计学上的显著改善（p <.05）。定性数据进一步支持了留学经历对于职业治疗临床博士项目中一级实地考察的价值，有助于培养OT和护理专业学生的文化能力。
结果证实，短期留学经历可以增加文化能力的获得。学生的评论也支持了跨专业沟通和团队合作的改善。
