School of Nursing hosts international health care advocacy summit

In June, the JMU School of Nursing hosted the Healthcare Policy Advocacy Summit, an International Network of Universities nursing collaborative. Ten students, three faculty from the School of Nursing, and two faculty members from Stellenbosch University in South Africa took part in the 10-day exchange.

The workshop was held in correspondence with a required course for Doctor of Nursing Practice students at JMU called Health Policy Institute. Five DNP students participated in the experience. Over the course of the visit, the DNP students and Stellenbosch students worked collaboratively to understand more about health policy advocacy at a local and global level.

Typically, a trip to Capitol Hill is part of the DNP course. This year, both DNP and Stellenbosch students traveled to Washington, D.C., together along with the faculty.

“They saw firsthand the legislative processes and the role of advocacy in shaping health care policies in the U.S.,” said nursing professor Christine Argenbright, who helped lead the exchange.

“I really feel the visit to Capitol Hill was one of the most impressionable activities [for the Stellenbosch students],” Argenbright said. “With the relationships that the School of Nursing has with legislators on Capitol Hill, we could go into legislators’ offices and speak with individuals. There was such an open, warm, embracing environment, even for students from a different county,” Argenbright said.

“Our students have also voiced that they were really impacted by going there, and they wish they had more time to create more networks and relationships for future endeavors in their professions,” said nursing professor Modjadji Choshi, who also helped lead the exchange. “Many of our DNP graduates hold leadership positions in their institutions,” so the students were eager to foster relationships that would help them learn how to impact policy after graduation, she noted.

One of the offices the students visited was that of Congressman Ben Cline, who in turn visited JMU School of Nursing a few weeks later. “That really shows the impact forming these relationships can have,” Choshi said.

“I think it was a great experience for students,” Choshi said. “The students from South Africa and the students here got to see that even if we experience the same problems, there are different challenges that lie in the processes of how those problems are handled.”

In addition to their visit to Capitol Hill, the Stellenbosch students participated in a SimNovation in the School of Nursing’s simulation lab, which is an “engaging simulation modality that stimulates thought-provoking discussions as participants progress through a pre-recorded simulated scenario,” Argenbright described.

The simulation, prepared by nursing faculty Lauren Mullen and Brandi Walton, allowed the students to explore the role of health policy, factors that influence health policy, and gain insights on global health policy initiatives.

The Stellenbosch students also visited Sentara RMH to observe American healthcare in action. “We had a chance to tour the hospital and speak with different nurse managers from the emergency room, labor and delivery, and the OR,” Argenbright said.

“It was great for them to see the technology [in the hospital] compared to South Africa,” Choshi said.

Beyond health care and advocacy, the students also took part in “culturally immersive experiences lined up to enrich their understanding of the activities they were involved in,” Argenbright said. The group went to Luray Caverns, a local baseball game and Dayton Market. These experiences were meant to “deepen their appreciation of American culture, traditions and societal values,” Argenbright said.

As partners in the INU, she plans for the JMU School of Nursing to continue to host student exchanges with Stellenbosch in the future.

“We’re continuing to collaborate with all of our International Network University nursing partners,” Argenbright said. “We hope to have a study abroad experience where our students will go to Stellenbosch University, possibly during spring break 2025."

“The goal is to sustain the programs, so every other year, JMU students will either go to South Africa or South African students will come to the United States,” Argenbright said.

The Stellenbosch students left a remarkable impression on the JMU students and faculty involved in the exchange.

“It was so rewarding to see how our DNP students created relationships with the undergraduate students,” said Choshi. She observed that despite the differences in experience, the JMU “students feel like they can still learn from the undergraduate students from a different cultural perspective. I hope we can continue that in the next exchange.”

“[The Stellenbosch students] were engaged throughout the whole process. They were so excited to come and experience our culture,” Argenbright said. “They were just wonderful exemplars of nursing students.”

“It really ignited something in students for the future, to see that they can make a difference in what they do, in how they take care of patients,” Choshi said.

“I have a feeling that wasn’t the last time we hear of that group of students. I think we will see them continue to do different things, find new ways of handling challenges in South Africa as they graduate into the nursing profession,” Choshi said.