A Survey on International Nursing Education of National Universities in Japan

Abstract

Objective: In this study, we clarified the current status of international nursing education at the national university and investigated issues related to education in the future. Method: Self-administered questionnaires were distributed by mail to the educators responsible for international nursing education (one per university) at 42 nursing departments of national universities. The survey period was from July 1 st to September 30 th 2016. Results: Responses were received from all 20 universities with full-time educators. For the 22 universities without full-time educators, information was collected by phone, email, and from the homepage of their specific university. As a result, information was obtained for all 42 universities. Of these, 85.7% implemented international nursing education and 52.4% have established it as a compulsory subject. In all, there were 61.9% universities with full-time nurses acting as academic advisors. Most of educators considered that “understanding of different cultures,” “world health policies,” and “content relating to international cooperation” were essential contents for education in the future. Discussion: As 52.4% of the universities that were surveyed treated international nursing as a compulsory subject, it is considered that whether or not one receives lectures on international nursing education is largely effected by the system of the university and the choice of the student. Regarding issues in the future, the construction of a curriculum aiming for the development of human resources with the capacity for practical application and rich in internationality is necessary.