By Cara Catallo
Global health care is more than just a catchphrase. Encouraging nurses to practice with a global perspective in mind is important enough that Oakland University’s School of Nursing considers it a strategic initiative. And the administration and staff practices what it preaches.
“We’re embedding it more and more in the entire curriculum,” says Kerri Schuiling, dean of the School of Nursing. “We all know the importance of global health, and we all know that the diversity of the people seeking healthcare is only going to increase.”
Having a respectful perspective of cultures different from our own, not just preconceived assumptions, means higher quality care, says Schuiling, who late last year traveled on behalf of the SON to Italy and the Netherlands. In November, the University of Padua invited Schuiling and Gary Moore, associate dean of the School of Nursing, to visit and give presentations, further cementing the universities’ relationship that includes a study abroad research course for nursing students. That mingling of students from varied cultures is a wonderful way to learn, says Schuiling, who lectured about midwifery to an audience of more than 70 health care professionals.
“They were very, very interested in how midwives are educated here in the United States and what our scope of practice is and philosophy of care compared with their country’s midwives,” she says.
The weeklong goodwill tour also developed potential for research collaboration and data collection sharing between the two universities, explains Moore, who lectured about a broader picture of advanced practice and nurse practitioners.
Understanding how to look at a culture and examine its morals and customs translates to working well with others, says Moore. And for students studying abroad, camaraderie and long-term friendship sometimes develops in the process, he says.
“It’s been a great experience: The students have absolutely loved it. They come back excited about international studies. They bring that fervor back to the classroom,” Moore says.
Students can identify similarities and differences that may help them better appreciate one another, as well as the different educational and health care systems, valuable traits that continue once they’re in the workforce, says Schuiling.
In December, Schuiling was one of 35 midwifery experts who gathered at The Hague (which houses the World Health Organization and the International Confederation of Midwives) to contribute to and review the International Confederation of Midwives Midwifery Services Framework. The costs associated with the the panel and their work were supported by a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. She is set to speak and conduct a research workshop at the group’s triennial conference in Prague this June.
Understanding global health issues caught the interest of Suha AL-OBalli Kridli, SON associate professor, when she was a student herself at the University of Jordan. She now teaches a global health course at The Honors College at OU.
“The ultimate goal is to help students become more global citizens; to see themselves as a little piece of the puzzle,” says Kridli, who hopes to launch a study abroad program with her alma mater one day. To learn from people within their own context brings a better understanding, explains Kridli, who wants to provide cross-cultural learning experiences so students can learn how each population has its own health issues somewhat shaped by environment and history.
“You cannot attach a value to that exposure,” says Kridli, who visited a Palestinian refugee camp with colleagues when she was an undergraduate student: “It was an eye opener. It was just amazing. I loved it.”
That can mold the way a person thinks about the world and provide leadership models and confidence that ultimately shape careers, Kridli says.
“Students who have this study abroad experience — they stand out from the other graduates. They’re different in so many positive ways. Those are the students folks will be looking to hire,” says Kridli.