BSN Students from South Korea Find New Inspiration in FPB Training Program
Engage in a two-week observational tour of classes, clinicals, and service learning
Posted 2/3/2011
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Visitors from ChoonHae College of Health Sciences (L to R): Hyun Jung Lee, Jeong Eun (Kelly) Kim, Professor of Nursing Kyongri Lee, FPB PhD student and interpreter Eunsuk Lee, Bo Kwon Jeong, and Jung Hoon (Kris) Lee |
Four BSN students from South Korea's ChoonHae College of Health Sciences, along with faculty member Dr. Kyongri Lee, visited the FPB School of Nursing for a two-week training program in January and February intended to boost the level of nursing education in their home country.
Professor of Nursing Kyongri Lee, PhD, RN brought along freshman Hyun Jung Lee, freshman Jeong Eun (Kelly) Kim, sophomore Bo Kwon Jeong, and freshman Jung Hoon (Kris) Lee for their first-ever visit to the United States, during which she hopes to expose her students to the diversity of nursing practice and education.
"Our visit is a continuation of the collaboration our institution began with FPB last year, when we sent five students," Dr. Lee says. "Once again, we wanted to select a group of undergraduate students to observe American nursing courses and hospital clinicals, thus demonstrating to them how the two compliment each other in quick succession. This methods requirement is a great model for us to emulate in South Korea, where we are seeking to establish more clinical settings for our students."
Dr. Lee and her students are observing nursing classes at FPB, participating in clinical visits at University Hospitals and the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, and even engaging in community service learning projects at local Cleveland schools.
"I'm really impressed by the nursing class-clinical sequence," says Bo Kwon Jeong. "It would be great to create a similar format in South Korea." He also mentions his interest in flight nursing and, along with his background in business and administration, hopes to be involved with setting up an accreditation program for flight nursing or a hospital management system back home. "I'm already learning a lot about the various kinds of new nursing technology in the United States, and that is very exciting," he adds.
"One of the things I noticed is that the United States is truly a melting pot," says Jung Hoon (Kris) Lee, who is interested in psychiatric nursing and hopes to eventually join a graduate program in the field. "When we visited University Hospitals to shadow some of the FPB freshmen, I saw that the nursing staff there knows how to handle people from all sorts of different cultures. It's a big difference from Korea, where almost everyone is of Asian descent."
Jeong Eun (Kelly) Kim comments that their tour of Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital was particularly interesting due to her interest in pediatrics. "When we met with Dr. [Lynn] Lotas and Dr. [Patricia] Underwood, I felt really encouraged because they told me that I could connect my engineering background with nursing, here at FPB. That discussion has made me start to think about my opportunity to contribute to nursing science and technology in the future."
Hyun Jung Lee was impressed with FPB's system of clinicals beginning the first semester of the freshman year. "I'd like to be a teacher or a school nurse," she says. "Before I came here, I had some narrow views about my nursing opportunities, but now I'm seeing that my interests in nursing ethics, kangaroo care, and end-of-life care could all translate into a promising career. I also love FPB's flight nursing program, and I'm already thinking of coming back here someday as a DNP student!"
Dr. Lee says she has noticed very good classroom dynamics between FPB faculty and students, in which the instructors provide thoughtful, careful explanations. "This is yet another aspect that I'll remember for our own curriculum development," she explains. "I'm very impressed with what I've been seeing."
Under the guidance of Samira Hussney, who is the director of FPB's International Health Programs office, FPB signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Choonhae College of Health Sciences in 2009. Ms. Hussney coordinated Choonhae's visit with the assistance of Associate Dean of the Undergraduate Program and BSN Program Director Dr. Marilyn Lotas as well as BSN Assistant Director Gayle Petty. PhD student Eunsuk Lee served as the Korean group's guide and interpreter throughout their visit.
