Students' perspectives on the outcomes of the joint international programme for nurse practitioners

Nurse practitioners (NPs) play a vital role in the primary healthcare systems in several countries. However, the NP system has either only recently been established or has yet to be set up in many Asian countries. The Joint International Programme for Nurse Practitioners (JIPNP), developed by a university in South Korea and one in the United States, has been running since 1998. The purpose of this study was to evaluate this programme by assessing student satisfaction through an e-mail-based questionnaire survey. The results of the survey indicated that the students found that this programme helped refine their professional skills. The students were most satisfied with the practicum. Their responses to the open-ended question regarding their individual experiences during the course indicated that they were most satisfied with their improvement in the following areas: understanding of the role of the NP, the responsibility and limitations of NPs with regard to diagnosing and prescribing, familiarity with culture and language, and understanding of healthcare systems. They were also pleased with the teaching methods deployed. It is anticipated that the graduates who completed this programme will help develop the NP system in Korea by assuming leading positions in many NP fields in South Korea.