Examples of Collaborative Efforts US-Russian Nurses
The following is a list of examples of collaborative/exchange projects undertaken primarily as a result of relationships developed during the US-Russian Nursing Conference Cruises between 1997-2007.
Collaborative Efforts in the US and Russia
Workshops for Russian Nurses
A series of three workshops were conducted yearly from 2000 to 2002 in Moscow to assist Russian nurses learn more effective ways of caring for the elderly. Nurses from all over Russia, including Siberia, attended these workshops. Based on a request from a Russian colleague, this series of workshops was developed with the Russian colleague serving on the planning committee. The joint US and Russian planning committee worked by conference call and electronic communication to plan these workshops.
There have been conferences or workshops for training midwives and on hospital management, nurse education, ethics in nursing, and communication between doctors and nurses. These have been offered in Novgorod, Pushkin and St Petersburg.
Joint Publications
A US nurse served as a guest editor for an issue of a nursing journal. During the 3rd US-Russian Nursing Conference Cruise in 2001, she developed a relationship with a Russian participant with like interests who she then invited to co-author an article for this special issue of the journal which has since been published.
Presentations and Publications
The planning for the 3rd US-Russian Nursing Conference Cruise generated the development of an abstract for presentation at a regional nursing research conference in 2002. The authors, from the US and Russia, recently published an article describing critical conference design elements necessary to create a context for cross cultural profession dialogue. The reference for this article is:
Driever, MJ, Perfiljeva, G, Callister, LC, & McGivern, S (2005). Creating a Context for Professional Dialogue Between United States Nurse: Design of an International Conference, in The Journal of Nursing Continuing Education, 36(4):168 – 174.
The work to develop the abstract and the manuscript was accomplished by electronic communication.
Collaborative Endeavors with Exchanges Integral to the Joint Project
Learning in Midwifery
Two Russian midwives spent a month visiting midwifery clinics in New York, Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia and to present on health in Russia at a variety of hospitals and nursing schools. For two years after this visit, a nursing dean took nurses to Russia to present on the American health care system.
Internship
A Russian nurse came to the US for six months to learn about health care delivery at a major health care delivery system in the Western US. Money to support this exchange was obtained by selling Russian souvenirs and the local Sigma Theta Tau International Chapter.
Russian Nurses’ Association (RNA) Convention
A nurse editor wrote articles about the Russian Nurses’ Association and helped raise money to support the first Russian Nurses’ Association Convention in St Petersburg at which she was an invited speaker.
Russian Nurses’ Association (RNA) Website Development
Two American nursing faculty are currently assisting the RNA in the development of a web site for this national association of Russia. An initial goal of the web site is to promote communication with the regional members of the Association. Local Sigma Theta Tau Chapters and other local nursing specialty organizations as well as in kind support from the university employing the faculty are supporting this project.
Service Development
A US nurse spent 3 weeks in Novgorod assisting with the development of a program to use volunteers for a hospice. She provided training for the hospice volunteers. Use of volunteers is new for Russians and the training was much appreciated. She will return in 2006 to help with the training of hospice volunteers.
Fulbright Scholars
Two nurses have been Fulbright scholars. One nurse was a scholar in Moscow in 1998 and a second was in St Petersburg in 2004. One aspect of work for the Fulbright Scholar in St Petersburg in 2004 was to conduct an outcomes evaluation of the St Petersburg Women’s Wellness Center (Hospital #122). In addition, this scholar presented lectures to graduate nursing students at St Petersburg Mechnikov Medical Academy School of Nursing and was invited to speak at hospitals and other schools of nursing during her time in Russia.
Humanitarian Efforts
Fundraising in Multiple Ways to Assist Russians Secure Needed Resources
A nurse faculty was instrumental in assisting hospices in Novgorod and St Petersburg, a mental health center in Novgorod, a nursing institute in Novgorod, the Russian Nurses’ Association and social welfare agencies in Novgorod obtain needed resources such as computers, slide projectors, printers, overhead projectors, xerox machines and paper to produce the first national exam for Russian nurses.
US nurses have also engaged in fundraising efforts and procurement of supplies on behalf of an orphanage in Novgorod, nursing schools in Sergiev Posad, Moscow and St Petersburg and a geriatric center in St Petersburg.
Suggestions for Collaborative/Exchange Projects
In addition to the projects previously described, the following are suggested as potential collaborative/exchange projects between US and Russian nurses:
Internships: A US or a Russian nurse does an internship with a focus on some aspect of nursing education or health care delivery.
Student-Teacher Exchanges: A US faculty member brings a group of students to Russia to learn about the Russian health care system. This could be reversed in having a group of Russian students come to the US to learn about health care and nursing education in the US. Another variation on this kind of exchange is to have a group of nursing and other faculty come to Russia to learn about nursing education in addition to or instead of a focus on learning about the Russian health care system or for US nursing faculty to sponsor one of more Russians nursing faculty to learn about nursing faculty and nursing education in the US.
Presentations: American nurses on visits to Russia do presentations on topics relating to the American health care system to faculty and students.
Summary
The biennial US-Russian Nursing Conference Cruises have provided a venue for Russians and Americans to establish working relationships for the many and varied projects listed as examples. During the eight years since the first US-Russian Nursing Conference Cruise in 1997, the colleagueship developed has furthered professional and humanitarian endeavors and learning how to work together across cultures and geographic boundaries.
This set of examples only begins to highlight the potential for the creative ways nurses can collaboratively work together for the benefit of the patients, families, students, and communities they serve. We eagerly look forward to reporting on additional collaborations and exchanges between US and Russian nurses.
For further information, please contact:
West Coast: Marie Driever at driever.m@ghc.org or mariedriever@comcast.net,206-448-2090
East Coast: Rachel Difazio at Rachel.Difazio@childrens.harvard.edu, (978)927-4452
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