[Faculty of Global Nursing] Integrated Nursing Practicum held at Chiang Mai University in Thailand

For two weeks from September 16th to September 27th, 2024, 12 fourth-year students from Faculty of Global Nursing participated in an integrated nursing training program in the field of international nursing at Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital in Thailand.
During the first week, we received an orientation to the hospital, which explained the characteristics of the hospital, which provides advanced medical care through tertiary care, the philosophy and organizational structure of the nursing department to provide safe and secure medical care that satisfies patients and their families, and nursing management and operations. We also received lectures on the values, ways of thinking, culture, and customs of the patients, which are necessary for developing the nursing process with the patients we are responsible for. For example, more than 90% of Thai people are devout Buddhists, and they deeply believe that all good and bad deeds will come back to haunt them and their descendants, and that death is a time for reincarnation, and that by dying peacefully, one will be reborn as a Buddha or a good person. We also learned that there are four different ways to greet people, depending on the person.
By fully understanding these ideas, it was extremely helpful to put into practice the nursing process when I was in charge of the patients in the second week. During the ward training, each student from our university was assigned a preceptor who carefully explained the patients' care and performed the nursing and treatment together with them. No matter what we asked, they were greeted with a smile and politeness, so even though we were assigned to one ward each, we were able to do our training at ease and at ease. On the last day of the program, each student reported on the results of their training and received feedback from their preceptor.
I also attended a grand ceremony to celebrate retiring nurses. The sight of the retiring nurses walking down the red carpet watched by new nurses was a sign of respect for those who had contributed so many years. I was deeply moved by this event to honor the elders.

[Comments from participants]
・I was able to learn a lot through this internship, but the biggest thing I learned was that communication is not everything when it comes to building trust.
I was not confident in either my English or Thai language skills and was reticent at first, but the smiles and eagerness of the local people meant that I was soon able to learn with ease and enjoyment.
This internship taught me once again that if any of the patients have difficulty speaking Japanese, I should never forget how I felt at that time and try to do my best to accommodate them.
(Ms. Hashimoto, 3rd year student Faculty of Global Nursing)

・We were warmly welcomed by many people in Thailand, and we are grateful for the opportunity to learn and experience so much. Even though we are not very good at English, we were able to interact with patients and provide treatment and assistance that can only be experienced in Thailand. As someone aiming to become a nurse in the future, I would like to not take for granted what I have learned in Japan, but rather to keep in mind the diverse ways of thinking I have learned in Thailand and work hard.
(Nakano, 3rd year student Faculty of Global Nursing)

(Source: Faculty of Global Nursing)