An interprofessional programme to culturally sensitise students to the needs of patients and realities of practice in rural areas.

The University of North Dakota programme, Students/residents Experiences And Rotations in Community Health (SEARCH), was implemented to address recruitment and retention problems and stereotypes associated with practicing in rural areas by providing an opportunity for health profession students to gain experience living and practicing in rural areas and observing interprofessional practice. Each health profession student in the programme (n = 181) from 2001 to 2011 (excluding 2009) kept a four-week journal detailing daily or weekly interactions, general thoughts, and experiences. Students who participated were from medical, psychology, dental, social work, nurse practitioner, and physician assistant professions. Results were grouped into three major themes around whether the experience increased their knowledge of healthcare issues in rural areas in North Dakota, increased their knowledge about interprofessional teams, and expanded their rural awareness. Overall, students valued this interprofessional experience, learned how to work in collaborative teams, and reported having a better understanding of the needs and problems in rural healthcare. Recruitment and retention of healthcare professionals in rural healthcare exhibit many challenges. The SEARCH programme has helped to alleviate some of these challenges; however, continued support for these programmes is necessary to sustain the delivery of interprofessional healthcare in rural areas.

Hospital Medicine and Fellowship Program in Rural North Dakota - A Multifaceted Success Story.

INTRODUCTION: Recruitment of hospitalists and primary care physicians for Critical Access Hospitals and tertiary care hospitals in North Dakota is difficult. To address this challenge, 2 programs were implemented in Bismarck, North Dakota. METHODS: St. Alexius Medical Center created a hospitalist fellowship training program in collaboration with the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences and physicians willing to work in Critical Access Hospitals were offered a joint appointment to teach hospitalist fellows and obtain a clinical academic appointment at the university. RESULTS: Since it was created in 2012, 84 physicians have applied for 13 fellowships. Of the 11 fellows who have completed the program, 64% (7/11) remained in North Dakota to practice. CONCLUSIONS: Physicians are more likely to work in a rural Critical Access Hospital if they spend time working at a tertiary care center and have clinical academic appointments. Where recruitment is challenging, hospitalist fellowship programs are helpful in meeting the health care workforce demand.

Through the eyes of women: cultural insights into living as a battered woman in Hawaii.

This phenomenological study examined the impact of culture on the lived experience of women who were victims of intimate partner violence (IPV). The analysis of the data, using the method of Colaizzi, yielded three theme clusters: "living in misery", "enduring terror and sadness", and "no happy ending". They revealed the essential structure of living in a violent situation. The women, from diverse cultural backgrounds, had similar individual responses to violence. Although on a societal level, responses to violence are unique, the results revealed that women's responses were very personal and common across cultures, demonstrating their fundamental humanness. This finding underscores the importance of providing caring, individual support when working with victims of IPV, even though various cultures might perceive IPV differently. An ecological model for understanding the responses to IPV includes both individual and group perspectives related to IPV and the factors that influence the behavior of both women and men.

An innovative approach to student internships on American Indian reservations.

Personnel shortages are evident for a number of disciplines in the health professions, from physicians to nurses. Project CRISTAL (Collaborative Rural Interdisciplinary Service Training and Learning) was designed to immerse students in rural and reservation communities and encourage them to consider practicing in locations that have shortages of health care providers. Students gain an understanding of the importance of working as part of a health care team and address present and future health care workforce shortages. The project was also structured to help students develop the necessary skills to become culturally-sensitive providers. Working relationships among higher education institutions, health care facilities, and reservation communities were enhanced. Additionally, a culturally-appropriate, team-oriented curriculum for reservation settings was developed. Experiences gained from the North Dakota project provide valuable insight into interprofessional health training and health issues of American Indian populations.

Undergraduate nursing student experience.

The purpose of the present qualitative study was to describe and explicate the experience of being a nursing student. A convenience sample of 12 nursing students from a variety of backgrounds at a public university were interviewed using an interview guide with open-ended questions. Their stories provided an insight into the satisfactions, challenges and stresses faced by students. Four major theme clusters emerged from the data: (i) meeting conflicting demands; (ii) feeling overworked; (iii) feeling unprepared and; (iv) seeking respect and support from one's faculty. These identified themes corroborate the findings of other researchers who have studied the student experience. Student's stories provide insights into the current educational environment, which can assist faculties to understand the impact of their pedagogical approaches. This information is particularly important in light of the current worldwide nursing shortage.