Diversity in Nursing Education: Middle Eastern Students

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Cultural Competence in Healthcare
• International Nursing Students

Background:

• Culturally diverse students encounter significant barriers in nursing programs.
• The faculty-student relationship presents a notable challenge for student success.
• This study investigated Middle Eastern nursing students, focusing on cultural differences relevant to the U.S. context.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the experiences of Middle Eastern nursing students in Jordan.
• To identify potential Eastern-Western cultural differences affecting nursing education in the U.S.
• To inform strategies for improving faculty-student relationships and student outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Utilized existential descriptive phenomenology and a feminist theoretical framework.
• Collected and analyzed data from 24 final-semester nursing students.
• Identified six key themes: dissatisfaction, time, negativity, gender, culture, and utopia.

Main Results:

• Middle Eastern students and their families hold distinct perceptions of nursing compared to U.S. faculty.
• Family, cultural, and community influences significantly shape student experiences.
• Identified cultural viewpoints can lead to misunderstandings between faculty and students.

Conclusions:

• An understanding of identified cultural challenges enhances the faculty-student relationship.
• Addressing these cultural nuances can prevent academic underperformance.
• Fostering cultural understanding supports the retention of diverse nursing professionals in the U.S.