Over the summer, between July 26 and Aug. 5, the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing (FPB) at Case Western Reserve University hosted a cohort of 10 undergraduate students from Keimyung University (KMU) in Daegu, South Korea.
Keimyung University is a private Christian university that was founded in 1954 by American missionary Reverend Edward Adams and local Presbyterian Church leaders Reverends Choi Jaehwa and Kang Ingu. Keimyung University is one of FPB’s global collaborating partners amongst others such as the University of Hong Kong and Taipei Medical University, for example.
Among the 10 undergraduate students, six of them were nursing majors, three were part of social work majors and one was a business student.
“The purpose of the program is to provide students from Keimyung University College of Nursing with valuable educational experiences through exposure to the CWRU/FPB academic environment, clinical settings, community care programs, and innovative learning opportunities,” said Manager of International Nursing Programs Tomoko Sippel and Associate Dean for Global Affairs and Planetary Health Deborah Lindell.
The program began last year after receiving a proposal. Dr. Eunsuk Lee, a faculty member at Keimyung University College of Nursing and CWRU alumna, reached out to bring her students to Cleveland. Now, CWRU welcomes the second year of the program.
During the program, the students attended lectures from CWRU nursing faculty and clinicians. Students also engaged in clinical observation visits and simulation activities. However, as it was over the summer, they weren’t able to interact with the majority of FPB’s nursing students.
In addition, the visiting students toured campus, and indulged in Cleveland’s culture. Part of the itinerary was a Wade Oval Wednesday event hosted at Wade Oval, as well as a Cleveland Guardians baseball game over at Progressive Field.
Sippel noted, “on the final day of their visit, the students from Keimyung University did very informative presentations on three topics related to health and nursing practice in South Korea. Faculty, staff, and students from FPB attended, including senior nurses from Hong Kong who happened to be at FPB at the same time for our Hong Kong University-Hong Kong Jockey Club Nurse Leadership Development Program.”
In the future, both CWRU and KMU intend to continue offering similar programs for interested students of all majors.