Document Type

Dissertation

Publication Date

2015

Abstract

An increased focus on interprofessional collaboration and teamwork in the healthcare professions had placed demands on nursing education to identify evidence based instructional strategies that bolster the interprofessional competency in prelicensure nursing education. One approach in addressing the call was to explore current educational opportunities for their effectiveness in developing interprofessional collaboration and teamwork. The popular trend in nursing education was to offer international clinical experiences that provide nursing care to impoverished people of developing countries. The current literature on these experiences had primarily focused on short-term outcomes that demonstrate personal growth of the individual, exposing opportunity for research concentrating on nursing competencies. The purpose of this study was to explore newly prepared baccalaureate-prepared nurses’ experiences on the development of the competency for interprofessional collaboration and teamwork after participating in an international clinical experience during their prelicensure nursing education. The participant sample comprised of eight registered nurses within their firstyear employment that participated on an interprofessional international clinical experience as a student nurse from one Northeast university. Using a basic qualitative method, data collection included semi-structured telephone interviews, which were coded to extract themes. The findings revealed seven themes, one being that all participants identified the development of teamwork and collaboration competency as a result of the interprofessional, international clinical experience. Each of the seven findings demonstrated that there have been long-term positive impacts over the registered nurses’ professional practice after participating on an abroad healthcare experience 20 months earlier. Results were disseminated with the intent of assisting nursing educational programs in understanding how interprofessional, international clinical experiences are worthwhile in fostering nursing-specific competencies.

Comments

A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy, Capella University, January 2015.


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