Transforming nursing students’ perception of working with others: an international placement experience in rural Laos

Contexts: Social, political, economic and cultural influences on interprofessional working. Title: Transforming nursing students’ perception of working with others: an international placement experience in rural Laos. Background: Griffith University, Australia has worked with a community development project in northern Laos since 2010, offering a clinical placement opportunity to final year nursing students. Supervisors and students work with health workers to provide primary health care to remote, rural communities, where an estimated 60% live below the poverty line. The Lao Health Workers (LHWs) come from several disciplines including nursing, medicine, pharmacy and primary health care. Given the complex history of this communist country, the social, political, economic and cultural influences have a profound influence on students. Aim: Nursing students completing this immersion placement will gain interprofessional experience working with LHWs while providing primary health care to this vulnerable population. Students collaborate with a range of professionals including academic supervisors, peers, LHWs and interpreters to complete health assessments and provide health education, whilst navigating the challenges of providing culturally appropriate care. Methods: The data was gathered as part of a larger phenomenological study which explored the lived experiences of students completing international placements. Students participated in focus groups and thematic analysis was completed using Colaizzi’s method (1). Results: The themes reflected the participants’ interaction with others and their environment, and the meaning they made of their experience working with other health professionals. The personal and professional growth of the participants became obvious, as they reflected on their challenges and achievements of working with others describing their increasing cultural awareness and increased confidence in working with others. Discussion/conclusion: Living with local families develops the students’ understanding of village structure and local culture, and creates awareness of relevant contemporary social issues. To support practice outcomes, students observed extremes of poverty and lack of access to health care, acknowledging that collaborations with other team members could contribute to improving health outcomes (2). Students’ cultural awareness was heightened as they reflected on their own values and cultural identity, whilst recognising and respecting difference in others. Students described improvement in self-confidence and taking on responsibility, as sharing knowledge with LHWs through interpreters created a more trusting and inclusive environment. Developing interprofessional relationships and trust is crucial to providing culturally safe health care, and contributes to increasing local capacity and maintaining sustainable partnerships. References 1. Sanders, C. (2003). Application of Colaizzi's method: interpretation of an auditable decision trail by a novice researcher Contemporary Nurse, 14(3), 292-303. 2. Emmanual, E. & Rands, H. (2010) Going the extra mile for health promotion, Connections, 13(4)