Using an Intraprofessional Global Immersion to Foster Role Formation in Nursing Students

Background: Nursing programs are instrumental in developing the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for nursing practice. Opportunities are lacking for role formation for successful transition into practice. Method: An intraprofessional global clinical immersion program was utilized as the setting for students to develop their role identity. Students from each level of nursing traveled to Jamaica to participate in a clinical immersion experience. Students participated in structured collaboration among students in different programs and acted as the instrument other students utilized to develop their role. Students had the opportunity to work with each other every day, and they provided authentic feedback for each other on their role-formation process. Results: Program evaluation revealed that the immersion helped students gain confidence in their roles as they transition into practice. Conclusion: Results of this evaluation support the sustainability of the structured global immersion experiences for professional role formation.