Academic credit
You will be enrolled by Mizzou Study Abroad in one course for a total of two credits. This is an official MU course — grades will be assigned by your program leader, appear on your MU transcript and be factored into your GPA. If you have questions about how this course will fulfill your degree requirements, meet with your academic adviser(s).
Course
NURSE 4770: Nursing in Communities Clinical (2) — This clinical course in the BSN sequence applies the concepts of community health nursing. You will work in the community with a public health nurse or worker. You will examine and experience the roles and functions of the community/public health nurse with emphasis on application of community/public health concepts and design and implementation of nursing systems of care for individuals, families and populations with particular self-care requisites. Prerequisites: NURSE 4270 and 3470 or NURSE 3670 and 4470.
The goal of this program, in addition to completing the required 90 clinical hours, is to increase your understanding of how public health interventions are implemented in another country. You will be better able to connect environmental, social and cultural contexts with health status and access to health services. You will also have the opportunity to observe firsthand how health workers assess community needs and take into account both the strengths and challenges of a particular environment when designing programs to prevent disease and improve health. The program will encourage you to reflect on how your own social and behavioral context affects your susceptibility to a variety of health outcomes.
The program is structured to allow group discussion at the close of each practicum or excursion day to allow for reflection on how each day’s activities related to your understanding of health, in-country health practices, health services availability and priority health needs. Course requirements include a short series of online classes before departure, journaling, active participation in discussions and a final paper.
Academic requirements
While Mizzou Study Abroad understands that your social and cultural experiences abroad are an important part of the study abroad experience, you should remember that this is an academic program. You must abide by all academic policies and procedures as stated and interpreted by the University of Missouri and your host organization. Class attendance, including all scheduled excursions and activities, is mandatory; grades will be lowered and students can be dismissed from the program for intentional, as well as excessive, absences.