Nurses benefit from international clinical placement as nurse students: A qualitative study

Background: A goal of studying abroad is increased cultural knowledge as well as strengthening the participants' disposition for active participation in society and in future careers. Empirical studies have shown a positive impact on nursing students', but little is known about the effects of international clinical placement on professional nursing. The aim was to investigate nurses' experiences after participating in international clinical placement as students, and how the stay influences their future career as professional nurses.Design: Qualitative design, and a hermeneutic phenomenological approach.Methods: Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with a sample of eight nurses who had participated in an international clinical placement as nursing students and worked for at least two years as nurses. The participants were students at one University College in Norway. The data analysis method was inspired by Max van Manen's thematic analysis.Results: The international clinical placement promoted personal and professional development of importance to professional nursing practice. The informants benefited from increased global and cultural awareness and noted that mastering the emotional challenges during the placement strengthen their ability to manage demanding situations in nursing work. The students evaluated guided reflection before, during and after the stay to contributing to learning outcome.Conclusion: The potential for increased global and cultural competence and personal and professional development is high in international clinical placements. If the opportunity is taken, the participants' future careers can be affected in a way that benefits patients and colleagues. We recommend that educators and supervisors of students on international clinical placements should facilitate guided reflection to the participating students.