Relationships with undergraduate nursing exchange students--a tutor perspective

Student exchange has been used increasingly in nursing education throughout Europe as a method of learning intercultural sensitivity. In the host country, each foreign student is assigned a personal tutor to enhance learning.

The aim of this study was to describe tutor-student relationships between Finnish nurse teachers and British exchange students from the tutors' perspective.

The researcher's close relationship with the study context and participants caused some ethical concerns, which will be discussed.

The data consisted of tutorial session observations, research diary notes, group interviews and background questionnaires. They were analysed using Spradley's developmental research sequence method for ethnographic data.

The tutoring relationship was pastoral and clinical rather than academic. The pastoral aspect of the relationship was essential in assisting the students to adjust to the stress of studying in a foreign country. On the other hand, tutors were unable to support all the students to overcome their culture shock. Tutors were uncertain about their role and did not integrate Finnish culture or practice into theory, but found their role pleasant.

A dialogic tutor-student relationship is important for learning intercultural sensitivity. Tutoring strategies should be developed to assist students' adjustment to the differences in the host culture and to encourage their reflection on personal, experiential and scientific cultural knowledge during their study abroad.