A Global Health Immersion Program for Nursing and Public Health Students

Area of Science:

• Global Health
• Interprofessional Education
• Health Systems Strengthening

Background:

• Collaboration between the University of San Francisco, California (USFCA) and the Lesotho-Boston Health Alliance (LeBoHA) to design a global health program.
• Focus on health systems strengthening in Lesotho for US students.
• Emphasis on interprofessional collaboration between nursing and public health students.

Purpose of the Study:

• Develop and implement an intensive, interprofessional global health immersion program.
• Introduce US students to global health challenges in resource-constrained settings.
• Foster cross-cultural awareness, humility, and global perspectives.

Main Methods:

• Co-development of curriculum by USFCA and LeBoHA starting March 2023.
• Program implementation in January 2024 in Lesotho involving classroom sessions and site visits.
• Prioritization of mutual respect and interprofessional collaboration.

Main Results:

• Three nursing and five public health students participated.
• Evaluation indicated achievement of course objectives and positive reception of experiential learning.
• Identified need for expanded field visits and pre/post-program engagement.

Conclusions:

• Short-term global health immersions effectively prepare students for global health careers and work with underserved populations.
• Partnership-driven immersion programs offer reciprocal benefits to institutions.
• Strengthening interprofessionalism is a key outcome of such programs.