Global Nursing: Maternal-Child Health Perspectives

UF Faculty: Kimberly Castillo Department: Department of Family, Community and Health System Science College: College of Nursing	Partner Faculty: Vera Dinga Department: School of Health Science Partner Institution: Redemption Higher Institute of Biomedical and Management Sciences (RHIBMS)	Partner Faculty: Barnabas Eden Department: International Relations Partner Institution: Redemption Higher Institute of Biomedical and Management Sciences (RHIBMS)

Project details
Title:	UF-RHIBMS Global Nursing Exchange: Maternal-Child Health Perspectives
Project Description:	This project facilitated a virtual exchange between undergraduate nursing students at the University of Florida College of Nursing and nursing students at RHIBMS University in Cameroon. Students were paired across institutions and engaged asynchronously in collaborative presentations and meaningful discussions exploring maternal-child health topics, including labor and delivery practices, postpartum care and cultural support systems, and pediatric health challenges in their respective countries. This cross-cultural exchange provided students with firsthand exposure to global health perspectives, fostering cultural competence, critical thinking, and a deeper understanding of how culture, resources, and healthcare systems shape maternal-child nursing practice worldwide.
Learning Outcomes:	Compare and contrast maternal-child health practices, challenges, and outcomes between Cameroon and the United States Analyze how cultural beliefs, healthcare systems, and resource availability impact maternal-child nursing care Demonstrate culturally sensitive communication and care strategies when interacting with patients and colleagues from diverse backgrounds. Identify key global health disparities and explain how international health systems and policies influence maternal-child health outcomes. Collaborate effectively across time zones and cultural contexts. Apply critical thinking to address global maternal-child disparities.
Participating Countries:	Cameroon
Number of Participants:	135 UF students and 149 RHIBMS students
Discipline:	Global health
UF Course Code & Name:	NUR4467C - Clinical Reasoning and Personalized Nursing Care: Women, Children, and Families
Project Duration:	11 weeks
Activity Type(s):	Student-to-Student Dialogue Student-to-Student Project
Time allotted to each activity:	Asynchronous Activities: 1-2 hours every other week Individual Work: 2-3 hours per week
Technology Tools:	WhatsApp Zoom Google Meet
Sequence of Activities:	Icebreaker: This first virtual exchange meeting will focus on getting to know one another. It should be casual and fun! Here are ideas for discussion: Introduce yourselves Provide your name and its relevance or meaning. Share your hometown and the state. What is your hometown known for? Share one unique thing about you Share your nursing aspirations: What area/floor/department would you like to work in when you graduate and why? What area of nursing are you the most passionate about and why? What has been the hardest part of being in nursing school? Will you stay in the town where you are attending nursing school or will you move somewhere else? Engagement Activity: 4 virtual meetings in groups of 4: 2 UF students with 2 RHIBMS students. The first meeting was ice breakers while the second, third and fourth meetings they presented to one another on a women-child topic and then had a discussion. The topics for meeting #2 were analyzing and comparing labor and delivery practices between the United States and Cameroon, meeting #3 analyzing and comparing postpartum practices and cultural support systems, and meeting #4 were analyzing and comparing pediatric health challenges. Students were required to upload their presentations to their respective campus (ie UF to Canvas) Collaboration Activity: After each country’s presentation, they were to ask meaningful questions and compare and contrast practices and systems in a robust conversation. Reflection Activity: Following each virtual meeting, they were to turn in self-reflections. The first three were 300-500 word self-reflections discussing commonalities, differences, how effective practices from the other country could be adapted in theirs, and how this changed their perspective on global nursing. The final self-reflection was longer at 600-900 words and included reflections on pediatric health challenges but also the entire experiences including, as an example, how the VE experience influenced their understanding of what it means to be a nurse in a global context, what assumptions did they hold about nursing in Cameroon before the exchange and how have those changed, what strategies did they use to communicate effectively across cultural differences, challenges they faced, how has this exchange shaped their perspective on health equity and global health issues, what did they learn about themselves through this experience.