International nursing education: challenges and strategies for success.
The Nursing Education Partnership Program between Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University and Foo Yin Junior College of Nursing and Medical Technology in Taiwan is in its third year. This program provides an opportunity for associate-degree nurses from Taiwan to earn a bachelor of science degree in nursing. The educational challenges, inherent in such a program, became evident early in the first semester. This article outlines those challenges and the educational strategies that were successful with this group. Implementation of the curriculum reflects four culturally significant aspects of the educational process: identifying community resources to meet basic needs for adaptation to a foreign country; redesigning teaching and learning strategies for international students; preparing faculty, clinical agency staff, patients, and other students to accept and become actively involved in this international program; and developing faculty-student relationships that promote mentoring and foster professional role development. Although the strategies presented were used with a group of students from Taiwan, they also can meet the needs of other international students.