Norwegian nursing students' experience of international clinical placement abroad: A qualitative study

For several years, the Norwegian government's goal has been that half of those who complete a degree in Norwegian higher education, should have had a study period abroad. This also applies to undergraduate nursing students. Nurse education programs in Norway often offer clinical practice abroad in order for their students to gain experience from another country's health care system. There is a knowledge gap in the literature on how Norwegian nursing students' experience their study period and internships abroad. The aim of the study was to explore Norwegian undergraduate nursing students' experiences of their clinical practice abroad. A descriptive and exploratory qualitative study. Nursing students were recruited from one specialized university in Norway. Nine students were interviewed. Three focus groups were conducted via the online platform Zoom with nursing students who had their clinical practice abroad during their bachelor's degree. The interviews were conducted in June 2020. The collected data were analyzed using thematic reflective analysis inspired by Braun and Clarke. Four themes were developed from the analysis: 1) Motivation for studying abroad, 2) Professional and personal development, 3) Different nursing role and 4) Different supervisor role. Students provided valuable insight from their experiences of studying abroad. The study highlights that there were other learning opportunities abroad than in Norway, but that the learning approach was somehow different and that it made the students take more initiative thus becoming more independent. The nursing role was different from what they were used to in Norway. In general, the Norwegian students experienced the nurse role abroad as more medical oriented. In addition, in countries like India, Spain and Cuba the family was taking a greater part of the care of people's basic needs. •Nursing students in Norway need cultural competence for health challenges in a multicultural society.•Study findings suggest clinical practice abroad provides different learning opportunities for nursing students.•Students reported a different approach to learning abroad.•Norwegian higher education institutions should facilitate international exchanges for nursing students to promote skills and knowledge.