International Internship Collaborations: Rwandan Nephrology Graduate Nurses Describe Their Experiences Abroad

International internships provide many benefits to graduate nurses, including bridging the gap between theory and practice. Yet, these internships in culturally diverse regions also present various challenges.

This study explored the experiences gained by nephrology graduate master's nurses from the University of Rwanda who attended clinical training in more advanced settings in Asia and Africa.

A qualitative design and semi-structured interview guide was employed to solicit individual opinions of nine nephrology graduate nurses who had attended international internships in India and Kenya. Content analysis was used to analyse and interpret the meaning of the textual data.

Four themes emerged from the analysis, namely Inter-professional collegiality, Cross-cultural adaptation, Challenges of the internships, and becoming a Change agent upon return to work in Rwanda.

Participants reported many positive learning experiences and some challenges. These challenges could be rectified in future internships abroad. The training bridged the theory-practice gap and increased the graduate nurses' experiences as global citizens.