BSS8UTV Health promotion and disease prevention

Contents and structure

According to the World Health Organization, health promotion is the proscess of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve their health.  It moves beyond a focus on individual behaviour towards a wide range of social and environmental interventions. The health promotion strategy aims to well-being and opportunities to master the challenges and strain in daily life.  The preventive strategy aims to develop initiatives that can reduce risk of illness and death, injuries and social problems.  These two strategies together referred to as public health work.  Nursing staff have a direct and indirect function within this field depending on their  place of work. 

Processes of migration present the nursing profession with a changing context of care in terms of ethnic, religious and cultural diversity in Norwegian health care systems.  Globalization presents a new disease panorama, as well as increased mobility - both personal and professional amongst adventurous nurses.  To include internationalization as a part of the education it is important to prepare the students for the rapidily changing challenges and opportunities we are faced.  According to the Norwegian national nursing curriculum, the students should have knowledge about health and social policy in a national and international perspective and be able to communicate with people from different ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds.

Western Norway university of applied sciences (Høgskulen på Vestlandet) aims to be an institution with a clear international profile in research and education that takes into account global challenges and focus on international solidarity. Students have the opportunity to study health promotion and disease prevention in one of the countries where the Institute of Nursing has established bilateral agreements. See specific guidelines 

Learning Outcome

By gaining insight into a different health system and perceptions of the nursing role, students will be able to compare and open up for a more critical view upon the strength and weaknesses related to one's own role and country's health care system. By challenging the established beliefs, values and expectations, the students could be able to get a wider perspective and flexibility. Several studies show that going on a student exchange facilitates personal and professional growth.  A student who has completed the course should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge:
The student...

• has basic knowledge of national and international research and development in the field of health promotion
• has basic knowledge of the themes, theories, models, processes and tools and nurse's role at both individual and community level
• has knowledge of the organization of the health system in the students host country
• knows the importance of political policies and legislations 
• knows the political priorities - both global and national - in health care, and the importance of these
• has knowledge of global health challenges, and has gained insight into how these affect nursing practice
• has insight into how cultural background affects the practice of nursing
• has an understanding of risk factors of individual and/or environmental character
• has insight into factors that promote health and prevent disease

Skills:
The student..

• can transfer experiences from cultural understanding, global health, health promotion and prevention to nursing practice 
• is able to explain the importance of health promotion and prevention of the healthy and vulnerable groups of the population

General competence
The student....

• has professional ethical values related to health promotion and disease prevention
• respects that the individual`s right to decide could be contrary to policy guidelines for groups of the population 

Specific aims:

Students travelling to Tanzania are expected to learn about:

• the Tanzanian health system 
• the role of the nurses - responsibility and duties 
• Mother to child care and pediatrics
• how socioeconomic status affects availability to health care
• diseases particular to the region/country - e.g. malaria, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and meningitis

Students travelling to Cuba are expected to learn:

• the Cuban health system 
• the role of the nurses - responsibility and duties 
• how the nurses work to prevent disease/conduct health promotion
• Mother to child care and pediatrics
• about how alternative and western madicine are mixed and used within the health system
• diseases particular to the country -  e.g. dengue fever, cholera

Students travelling to countries within Europe are expected: 

• compare, contrast and analyse information on nursing, nursing education and practice in different countries, with the view to enhance their nursing practice and contribute to the development of individual cultural competence.
• To assess how the processes of increased migration are influencing the health systems.

Entry requirements

Second year studies must be passed.  Attendance and passed exam in BSS5 Global Health and Cultural Awareness in Nursing, which put focus upon the health system and the role of nurses in the students host country.

The course based on the national curriculum for nursing education (Ministry of Education, 25 January 2008) specified under 3. Education-specific part objective in "Health promotion and prevention". Nursing includes measures to promote health and prevent disease in healthy and vulnerable groups in the population. It requires knowledge about the links between health and disease in the individual and societal perspective.  The course provides knowledge within the nurse`s professional and scientific foundation (1 ECTS credit), the nursing and professional foundation - the nurse`s functions and tasks (7 ECTS credits), social issues (1 ECTS credit) and medical-scientific topics (1 ECTS credit).

Teaching methods

Mandatory pre departure sessions of information facilitated by the International office at HVL and the contact persons from the host countries. The students are obliged to write a plan for their practical placement. This should also contain a presentation of themselves and their previous experience. 

Practical placement with a focus upon health promotion. The collaborating institution can decide the programme according to the learning outcome, depending on the facilities on site. See country specific information. Arrangements are made for supervision, tutorials and quality control by the school`s supervisor.

The two first weeks the students will have a course in Swahili (usually conducted at Zanzibar).A contact person from the hospital will meet the students at the hospital the following week. Together they will plan for and write a schedule for 8 weeks of practical placement. The wards accessible to the students are amongst others: burn unit, premature unit, childre's ward, the emergency room and a HIV clinic. In some cases, the students could join mobile/ satellite clinics to conduct care for children under 5 years old.  The students are obliged to work 4 days per week, and have one day for studies.

The first two weeks the students will conduct a course in Spanish.  Practice placements will be in Pediatrics, mother to child care, labor ward, community health, traditional medicine.  The practical placement period lasts for 8 weeks. The students are obliged to work 4 days per week (20 hours), and have one day for studies.  Lectures tied to each subject will be given in advance of the practice of the various departments in the hospital, community health and alternative medicine. Alternative medicine is implemented in community health. Supervision in practice will be given by teachers from the university, the Faculty of Nursing. A test will be provided after each practice placement 

The practical placements vary throughout Europe: In hospitals, health clinics and nursing homes, often in accordance with the students requests.  The student will sign a Learning Agreement prior to the exchange together with the academic responsible contacts from HVL and visiting institutions. This agreement will outline the content and dates of the exchange period. The working hours in Europe are longer than in Norway, in average 37.5 hours per week. The practical placement last for 9 weeks. Norwegian students usually have one "self-study" day per week to conduct additional academic work during the placement period; this is not common in Europe and can´t be expected.  See for additional information  

S

Like Europa, but in addition, when the students are going to follow theoretical courses, the learning outcome have to be specified.

Students work on their Bachelor thesis for 3 weeks during the placements. After returning home, the students are required to attend one group session where the experiences from the exchange will be discussed. The students will also discuss their paper, and get supervision from their teacher before handing in the exam. 

Compulsory learning activities

Plan for practical placement. 

A reflection paper has to be provided related to experiences in practice linked to helath promotion and preventive care in nursing.  Deadline for submission is no later than 4 weeks after the start of the practice abroad.

The practical placement is approved when requirement for compulsory attendance are met.  Confirmation of attendance should be signed at VLHB`s special form.

Assessment

Individual paper
A reflection based report where the students are expected to compare their previous findings as stated in their exam in BSS5 to their experience, working in a healthcare setting abroad. Maximum 1500 words. The following criteria will be emphasized in the assessment of the task:

The student shows:

• knowledge about the organization of health care in the host country
• knowledge of local health challenges, and how these affect nursing practice in the host country
• insight in the role of the nurses in the host country ability to critical reflect upon their experiences from the practical placement
• Illumination and argumentation of key concepts in the paper, using literature of health promotion and preventive care.
• Prominent academic foundation

The paper can be written in Norwegian or English and should be written according to written technical guidelines.  Look at "Sok og skriv"

Expression of assessment 
Pass/ fail

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