Nursing students' internationalization: Virtual exchange and clinical simulation impact cultural intelligence

Background: There is a need for globally competent nurses; however, some cannot train abroad. Internationalization at home strategies seek to teach intercultural and international competencies to all students, regardless of location.

Purpose: This study evaluated the impact of a virtual exchange and clinical simulation program on nursing students' cultural intelligence.

Methods: The Global Nursing Care (GNC) program was designed to improve nursing students' global competencies, particularly cultural intelligence. It was implemented in two universities in Spain and the USA. A quasi-experimental, analytic, and longitudinal study involved 261 nursing students, 57 from the GNC program and 204 in the control group. Sociodemographic data were collected, and the Cultural Intelligence Scale was used to measure cultural intelligence.

Discussion: All cultural intelligence dimensions were augmented following program participation. Moreover, students who participated in the program presented higher cultural intelligence than the control group.

Conclusion: The results suggest that program participation was associated with a statistically significant gain in nursing students' cultural intelligence.